Angel Lawliet Chronicles: Freshman Year
by Angel Lawliet
Summary: A mute girl and her brother move into town. What secrets will she discover about the one person who can talk to her? What's his secret? What's her secret? How will she handle the battles coming her way, and who is going to be by her side to help her? Genre: Fantasy, Angst, DRAMA! WARNING: Abuse, Sexual content, Drugs, Self-harming, Yaoi, Possibly rape.
1. First Day: Part One

Angel Lawliet Chronicles: Freshman Year

I woke up at five o'clock that morning, already dreading the day. I got out of my bed and looked around my new, bare room. I could hear Nate downstairs, cooking breakfast, which I could smell from upstairs. I threw on some jeans, a T-shirt, and my black cloak, putting the hood over my head before going downstairs and sitting at the new dining table, Nate setting a plate of eggs and cheese in front of me.

He sat down in front of me, looking at my cloak with disdain. He didn't understand... No one did. No one understood what it was like to be... different.

"I really wish you wouldn't wear that to school Angel... How are you going to make friends this way?" He asked me, trying to get me to look him in the eyes.

I simply shrugged my shoulders, and signed 'Guess people will just think I'm weird.' I looked down at my plate, suddenly not hungry anymore.

I heard a sigh coming from his mouth... It was a soft, quiet sigh, but I could hear it. "It's bad enough you won't talk to anyone now you won't let them see you either? What's next Angel? Huh? Are you going to be single for the rest of your life? Not get married? I mean Angel, I know it's been hard on you... But you have to live your life. You have to..." Nate said, desperation and sadness in his voice. But it just made me angry... Very angry.

I got up and left the house without eating breakfast, walking to school. It was kind of a hot day, but I didn't care. At that moment, I was angry enough to ignore the heat. I saw a few people walking on the sidewalk, I walked around them in a hurry. They were holding hands, and talking about someone named Gaara and how they couldn't believe he was dating Sakura. The girl says "They won't last. He's too brooding, and I hear he's got a huge temper."

Their conversation faded away in my rush to get past them. The walk to school wasn't long, only about fifteen minutes. I passed a lot of houses on my way there, praying to Kami no one would notice me. When I finally got to the school, I went inside and stuck to the shadows of people so no one could see me. After some circling around and a few weird looks as people started noticing me, I finally found the office, and I went and sat in a chair that was tucked away in a corner, waiting for someone to notice me.

Tsunade's P.O.V

"Where the hell is the new student?!" I yelled out of my office. It was already first period, and I've been sitting here waiting for this damn girl for two fucking hours! _I swear these people don't know how to do their damn jobs!_ I sighed as I poured myself a glass of my sake... It was my little pleasure, keeping me from killing these fools.

Finally, after another fifteen minutes, Shizune walks in with someone wearing a cloak... I sighed and shook my head. "I'm sorry but you're not allowed to wear that hood over your head." I said, feeling a bit disrespected.

The girl looked up at me and signed, 'I'm allergic to fluorescent light.' I felt like she was lying... So, I had a look at her records. It was a lie, of course, but she had a note from a psychiatrist. _Why didn't she just say that? Doesn't want anyone to know she's been in therapy? Story of my life, kid._ I sighed heavily and handed the file to Shizune. "Send her to Itachi. He knows what to do." Shizune nods, "Yes, ma'am!" She says as she hurriedly scooted Angel out of the room, leading her to Itachi's office. My job was to meet them. That was it. Itachi handled the paperwork and buddy system bullshit. Something nagged at my mind just then as the girl walked out of my office...

There was something off about that girl... I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there was something extremely off about her. _I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on her._ I tapped my fingers on my desk in thought. Wondering why this girl was plaguing my mind... Aside from the cloak, and being mute, she seemed normal. But why the cloak? Why was she wearing that cloak?

Itachi's P.O.V

The second I saw her walk in, I knew who she was. I had already read her file before she got here, including the psychiatrist note. "Thank you, Shizune." I told her, looking straight at Angel. I smiled at her as Shizune left, closing my office door. "Good morning, Angel. Why don't you sit down while I go over your file again and call your guide. How are you this morning?" I asked her. She signed that she was fine. This is going to be a very interesting day for everyone... We've never had a student here that only communicated through sign language. Not only that, but that cloak was going to limit her social ability greatly... "That's good. So, there are a few things I have to go over with you about your guide, Gaara. See, Gaara is kind of anti-social, and a bit sensitive. So just be careful what you do, or say. I would appoint you another guide, but Gaara is the only one in this school that speaks sign language." I explained to her. She just shrugged at me.

'It's okay, I don't talk much. I can just follow him around until I know my way.' She signed to me. I nod to her and called Gaara's teacher to send him up here. Hopefully, she'll be okay. Maybe they'll be good friends... The Anti-social 'monster' and the Cloaked Mute. I sighed softly as I waited for Kakashi to answer.

Gaara's P.O.V

I came into the school holding Sakura's hand for the first time. I sighed heavily... I didn't want to touch her. But I didn't want to lose her either. I finally found someone to put my trust in, I can't screw up now. Sakura eventually let go of my hand while I was in deep thought, I watched her enter the library, waving a bit, not that she noticed. I didn't care. I went to homeroom, Kakashi's class.

"Well! Good Morning Gaara!" Kakashi said all too happily, as usual. I waved at him and sat in the back of the classroom. Kakashi was one of the few teachers I actually liked. He actually left me the fuck alone. I rummaged through my bag looking for my notebook and pulled out a book that I needed to return to the library, so I got up from my seat and wrote a note for myself that Kakashi signed. I knew Kakashi wouldn't care if I was late... I was going to go outside for a little bit before returning to class. I left, heading towards the library, feeling anxious for some reason. I knew everyone was talking about Sakura and I, but that wasn't why I was anxious... I was used to everyone talking about me. Why did Sakura go into the library? Probably for a test or something... She talks so much that I tune her out, so she probably told me why already and I just ignored her or something.

I was so fucking wrong.

When I entered the library, I put my book in the return slot, and as I was about to leave, I was met with the sound of slapping, and moaning that sounded oddly like Sakura... My curiosity got the best of me, so I followed the noises. in the back of the library, on a table, there was Sasuke, fucking my girlfriend, Sakura. They both looked at me, looking like they were about to orgasm, I just stared, shocked, horrified, and my heart hurt so bad I thought I was dying... Unfortunately, I was wrong. I watched as they climaxed together, then turned around and left the library, slamming the doors open. I could hear Sakura and Sasuke laughing... Everyone in the hallway was laughing. At least... I thought they were. I went straight back to Kakashi's classroom, completely forgetting to go outside and slammed the door, cracking the window, and scaring any students already in the classroom.

"Gaara! What the HELL is wrong with you?! That's sch-"

He immediately stopped talking when he looked at my face.

Kakashi's P.O.V

I was about to yell at Gaara for practically breaking my door, but I could tell that something had just gone terribly wrong. The look on his face was absolutely psychotic, eyes wide, pupils small, teeth clenched so hard I thought they were going to break. _I haven't seen Gaara this angry since middle_ _school..._

"Gaara..." I said softly, as I locked the door to keep any other students from coming in. "You need to calm down. Breath." I looked around at the other students, they all had terrified looks on their faces that said 'This is it, he finally broke, we are all going to die.' Blah, Blah, Blah.

"I CAN'T FUCKING BREATHE!" He screamed at me, looking at me with murderous eyes. I sighed heavily, thinking that this wasn't going to be a good day for anyone. Gaara was definetly out for blood, if even one person messes with him today, I won't be able to stop him from killing anyone.

"Gaara. Start by telling me what happened... Do you need me to get Sakura?" I asked, and he punched the wall, putting a hole in it, hand now bleeding. "I FUCKING HATE HER!" He screamed again as he kept punching the wall. I had to stop him... I grabbed his hands and made him look at me. "GAARA! Enough! Tell me what the hell happened!"

Gaara's P.O.V

I was so angry. I was so hurt. I was... I was... _Someone is touching me..._

I looked up to see Kakashi, who kept asking me what happened. So I told him. I told him what happened between Sakura and Sasuke. He sighed heavily and sat down at a desk. We both ignored the constant knocking by the other students, and the shocked looks of the students in the room. He shook his head at the whole situation.

"What a fucking whore." He said bluntly. I nodded... Then, the phone rang. We both looked at it with equally annoyed looks on our faces. He answered it with a long sigh. "Hello? Oh, hello, Itachi. You need Gaara? For what? Now isn't really a good time... Oh. I see. Okay, I'll send him your way then. Sure. No problem." Kakashi hung up the phone and then looked at me. "Itachi wants to see you in his office. Apparently, you are someone's guide." he gave me a concerned look.

I groaned, unlocking and opening the door, shoving past the rest of the students. I knew they were looking at me, talking about me. And I didn't fucking care.

Angel's P.O.V

The door opened with a loud bang, Itachi-Sensei and I both jumped a little bit. A red-headed boy came into his office, looking very angry. He really is brooding... I slunk into my seat a bit... He was a lot scarier than I thought he was going to be...

"Itachi! I'm NOT in the mood for you FUCKING BULLSHIT!" He yelled. Itachi sighed softly. "Gaara, I'm sorry but you're the only person who can be her gui-" he tried saying but was interrupted by Gaara's yelling. "NO! THERE ARE OVER FIVE HUNDRED FUCKING STUDENTS AND OUT OF ALL OF THEM YOU CHOOSE ME?!" Itachi tilted his head at Gaara, and asked, "Who the hell pissed in your cheerios today?"

The look plastered on Gaara's face was pure fury. "Itachi. I am NOT in the mood to tow around some new student that's going to ask me TEN THOUSAND FUCKING QUESTIONS! Okay?!" He said, voice getting loud, then back to normal and through clenched teeth, as he was obviously trying to keep his temper in check. Itachi sighed softly, looking at me with slight worry in his eyes. "Gaara, you are the last person I want guiding this student. But, you are the only student in the entire school that speaks sign language. You're not only her guide Gaara. You're her interpreter." Itachi says softly, looking back at Gaara with a small smile on his face.

Everything went silent. Gaara's eyes widened a bit, and he looked over at me. Every fear and doubt I had disappeared when I looked into his eyes... which were filled with so much pain. So much, that I actually felt bad for him. Because I knew what pain felt like... I heard a dripping sound in the silence and looked to see a few drops of blood on the floor. His hands were dripping blood, and it didn't seem like Itachi noticed...

"Now. Gaara, this is Angel, Angel, Gaara. Angel here is a mute, much like you when you were younger. So, be nice, okay? I'm sure you two will get along just fine." Itachi says with a smile on his face. Then he gives us a dismissive wave of his hand.

I decided to take this opportunity to communicate with Gaara... 'Hello, Gaara. How are you?' I signed with a small smile. He shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Let's go, we are already missing first period." I blinked, and nodded, standing up, bowing to Itachi-Sensei, and following Gaara. I caught up to him quickly and tugged on his shirt. "What?" He said, still walking, looking like he was deep in thought. I kept tugging until I annoyed him enough for him to stop and look at me. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" He yelled. I cringed a bit, and sighed, taking his hands...

Gaara's P.O.V

 _I just wanted this day to be over already! First, my fucking dad, then Sakura, now I have to tow around a mute for the rest of my days in high school... WHY IS SHE FUCKING TOUCHING ME?!_ "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" I yelled, turning around so I could see her. She took my hands, I snatched them away, but she took them again. 'Your hurt.' She signed. I looked at my hands and sighed... I didn't even notice I hurt myself... Angel set her bag down and pulled out a medicine kit. She cleaned my hands and bandaged them up, then put her stuff away. 'Let's go' She signs. I nod and lead her to Kakashi's class. A new feeling entering my heart. A... unfamiliar feeling...

Angel's P.O.V

When we entered the classroom, everyone stared at us. Wondering who I was, why I was wearing a cloak, why Gaara was my guide. A white-haired man shooshed the class and looked at us. "Gaara, welcome back! Hello, miss, why don't you introduce yourself?" The man asked, looking like he was smiling. I couldn't tell from the mask. I turned to the class, and signed 'hello' and what my name was. Everyone, including Kakashi, looked completely confused.

"She says... Hello, My name is Angel." Gaara sighed in annoyance, it was obvious he didn't talk much. He couldn't stand being my interpreter. Everyone began talking again, saying how weird I was. "Why doesn't she talk? She deaf or something?" One student asked.

Gaara sighed with annoyance and looked at Kakashi. "You're supposed to know about this shit aren't you?" He asked. Kakashi sighed and shook his head. Gaara groaned and responded, "She's a mute."

They began talking again. We both took this opportunity to sit down, in the back of the classroom. Naturally, I sat next to Gaara.

I suddenly realized as everyone was whispering about me, that he may be my only friend for the rest of the year...

* * *

Hello everyone! A few of you may recognize the title of this story, although it's different. I decided to rewrite 'Angel Lawliet Chronicles' Because I didn't like the other story anymore haha! So. I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter, I know it's kind of blah, but most first chapters are. Please write me a review and tell me what you think, what your thoughts are, what you would like to see happen. I will upload a chapter every Friday.

Toodles!

Angel Lawliet


	2. First Day: Part Two

The First Day: Part Two

Gaara's P.O.V

I stared at Angel without realizing it. I couldn't read her. At all. And it was really bothering me. That feeling was unfamiliar. I am not used to not being able to read anyone. I can read everyone... Even Kakashi. Her... She was like a diary that couldn't be opened with just a key. I needed to completely decode her... Maybe it was the cloak? No... She didn't have any body language. She just sat there, looking at Kakashi. I couldn't really see her face... Maybe that was it. With Kakashi I can see his eyes, that's how I usually read people, but with her... I couldn't see her eyes. I couldn't read her. It freaked me out. Seriously freaked me out. I had to get her to take that fucking cloak off... Or I was going to go insane.

The bell rang, and I almost jumped. Angel turned to me, and signed, 'Where to next?' I sighed and looked at her schedule. "Art," I told her. I stood up and started to walk out of the classroom with her. I took note of the hole I left in the wall, and of everyone, including Kakashi, watching us leave.

I lead her to the art room and sat in the back with her next to me. Glancing at her, I got her a canvas and some art supplies... I wondered what she was going to draw. The bell finally rang for class to start, and Kurenai walked in.

"Alright, class! Today, I want you to draw a secret. Your deepest, darkest secret. You have til the end of class to finish it. Good luck!" She smiled, then worked on her own "secret". What the hell was I supposed to draw? I don't want anyone knowing my secret... I looked over at Angel, who was already at work on hers. Maybe I could make mine up...

I sighed, staring at my blank canvas... then I remembered something... A dark secret, that I have never told anyone.

Angel's P.O.V

I was finished before anyone else. I was happy to be in this class, art was one of my skills along with music. Kurenai eventually came over and observed my painting, nodding. Then looked over at Gaara's and her eyes widened, and even teared up a little. I looked too, and I could see why it touched her heart so much.

Gaara's picture was of him when he was little, being held by a woman with brown hair, her back turned to us. In the picture, Gaara was crying, and at the bottom of the woman's dress, was blood. A lot of blood... From this picture, I gathered that his mother was dead...

Gaara looked at the two of us when he was done, he looked at my picture. Mine was just a girl looking at us with wide eyes, hands covering the bottom half of her face. I wasn't just going to reveal myself to the world... This was good enough.

Kurenai ordered everyone to clean up, and we all covered our pictures and set them in a bigger room to dry. The bell rang for next class, which according to Gaara, was actually lunch for us. He leads me to the lunch room, where I got my lunch, but Gaara didn't get his. When we sat down at a table, I signed to him, 'Why won't you eat?' He sighed. "I don't eat at school."

A blonde haired boy sat down right next to Gaara. "Hey, buddy! Whose your friend? Not eating AGAIN?!" He said in quite a loud voice. He then proceeded to try and shove food in Gaara's mouth, which made me smile.

"Damn it Naruto, STOP IT!" Gaara eventually yelled and sighed harshly. Naruto pouted and shrugged. "Can't say I didn't try! So, who is she?" He asked again. "Her name is Angel. She's mute..." He responded.

Naruto's face softened at me, and I pulled my hood over my head some more... Why was he looking at me like that? "You mean like you? When you were younger?"

Naruto's P.O.V

I don't know who she is, but I'm gonna make her talk. Just like I did Gaara...

-flashback-

It was near the end of 6th grade, and Naruto had found Gaara under the slides, crying. "So, you can make noises." Naruto said to him, crawling under the slide too. Naruto saw the bruises on his face, and his eyes widened... He wanted to know what happened. "What happened to your face Gaara?!" Gaara simply shook his head and kept crying, something he rarely did. Everyone thought Gaara was an emotionless monster, except for Naruto. Naruto always tried to be Gaara's friend, always talking to him, sitting next to him, playing with him at recess. This particular recess, Naruto got a time-out for trying to kiss Sakura... "Gaara you have to tell me what happened! So I can help!" Naruto tried explaining, but Gaara wouldn't budge. So, Naruto tried something he never tried before. He hugged Gaara. And it made Gaara stop crying immediately. After a few seconds of shock, Gaara started to cry again, leaning into Naruto. "They hit me!" Gaara said loudly, sobbing. Naruto's eyes widened, and when he found out who hit Gaara, he immediately went and punched all of them in the face, even though Naruto got beat up in the end.

Ever since then, Gaara allowed Naruto to be called his friend.

-end flashback-

I smiled at Angel, who put her hood over her head. "Angel, why are you wearing that cloak?" I asked. I hit a nerve... She slumped down in her seat a bit and shrugged. "It's okay you don't have to answer that! That was a stupid question!" I said sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head.

"Oh DUH! You don't even know me! My name's Naruto Uzumaki, I'm Gaara's best friend!" I said with a grin. She looked at Gaara, made some weird hand signs, and Gaara nods. I was confused by the whole hand thing!

Angel's P.O.V

Naruto looked like he was going to explode with confusion.

"She asked me if that was true." Naruto then looked happy again, grinning. "Yep! Definitely true! Since middle school!" I nodded, I didn't feel like talking. I was feeling very anxious for some reason... I didn't entirely know why. It wasn't Naruto, he was nice... I suddenly heard footsteps behind us, a whooshing through the air, and a smack as my hand shot out and grabbed a black haired boy's hand before he could punch Gaara.

"What the FUCK? Let go of me you mute freak!" He said I looked at him, not that he could see me under my hood. I stood up, and shoved him away, spreading my feet apart in cased anyone else tried to come at Gaara.

Gaara's P.O.V

I heard a 'smack' sound behind my head so I looked back and was a bit surprised at what I saw. Angel's hand was blocking Sasuke's, who was obviously trying to punch me. I stood up as Angel did, she stood in front of me and I looked down at her. Why is she protecting me? She doesn't even know me... My mind was racing with explanations on why this girl was in front of me. I. Can't. Read. Her.

Sakura suddenly stepped in and rushed at Angel. Sakura was EXTREMELY strong, Angel ca-… As Sakura aimed her punch, Angel caught it, and literally FLICKED Sakura across the cafeteria, everyone was looking at her with shock on their faces, Sakura hit the wall and slid down to the floor. How the FUCK did she do that?

Sasuke and his gang chose at that moment to not fuck with us. Of course, Angel got the attention of another crew... The Akatsuki. They were grouped at one part of the cafeteria, watching Angel's every move. They were the group's leading gang members... If you could get in with them, you could get away with murder. Literally. She turned towards me and then sat down, Naruto and I still staring at her.

"THAT WAS WICKED! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!" Naruto asked loudly, shocked, amazed, and surprised. She signed, and I responded, "Tai Quan Do." Although, I didn't totally believe her. I thought there was more under her belt than just Tai. I finally sat down as well. I felt... Impressed. The bell rang for next period, which for all three of us, was science class.

"Oh great now we have to deal with creepy Orochimaru!" Naruto said with a groan. "Yeah, he's definitely a creep. Gladly, our seats are in the back." Naruto nods in agreement. We all got up and walked to Orochimaru's class, Naruto and I sat down, but Angel stood by the door, frozen. She didn't move a muscle...

Angel's P.O.V

No. This isn't happening. This is a dream. Just a dream. This isn't happening. IT'S NOT HAPPENING! Oh, but it was happening. Orochimaru... To me, known as 'The Snake Man', was in MY school teaching MY class. He looked at me, with his snake-like eyes, pale-blue skin, his creepy smile... And his voice... "Hello. Please, sit down, will you?" He said to me with his hiss-like voice that sent shivers down my spine. I simply nodded and rushed to the back of the classroom, sitting next to Gaara. I could barely breathe... This was a fucking nightmare.

A hand was waving in front of my face, and I looked at Gaara... "Orochimaru is talking to you..." I blinked and looked towards him, wondering what he said. "Have we met before?..." He asked, no longer smiling, eyes angry. I shook my head. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, the bell rang and everyone was seated. He gave everyone a worksheet, and as he walked around, I watched his every move.

There isn't anything I can do right now... I have to keep my cool. I have to be invisible to him. I did my work as I tried to calm myself down, finished early, and laid my head down, breathing deeply, in and out. The bell finally rang for next class, and I was the first one out of the room. I didn't even turn in my work...

Gaara and Naruto both ran out of the classroom, looking around. When they spotted me a few classrooms down, they ran towards me. "Angel! What the hell happened?! Are you okay?" Naruto rushed to ask me. I shook my head. 'I don't like him... I don't like him at all...' I signed to Gaara, my body shaking violently.

Gaara seemed at a loss of what to do in this situation, so Naruto took over, cooing at me and rubbing my back. Soon, I calmed down, and we walked to next class, which was Martial Arts.

When we got into the classroom, I was immediately terrified. Two people in green jumpsuits and caterpillars for eyebrows rushed up to me, welcoming me to the class and the school.

"Hello there, young lady! My name is Might Guy! You can call me GUY-SENSEI!" The bigger green man said, with his thumb up and teeth twinkling.

"My name is Rock Lee! I challenge you to a dual missy!" The smaller green man said with enthusiasm, giving me two thumbs up with the same smile. I looked at the supposed teacher questionably. Am I really going to have to fight this fool?

Naruto sighed softly. "Every new student has to battle Lee. Good luck, no one has ever won before." He said with a stupid grin and a thumbs up. Angel sighs softly as she waves at Lee politely, then passes him, sitting with Gaara and Naruto in the back. I noticed that everyone in the room was looking back at us, at me... Sasuke was also in this class and he was glaring at me. I quickly recognized many of the students from the cafeteria.

"Alright, class! Today will be a sparring day and first up, is LEE and the new student ANGEL! COME ON UP!" Guy-Sensei said quite loudly... I quietly made my way to the floor, Lee was already there, in his stance. I just stood there... "BEGIN!"

Lee threw the first punch and I dodged accordingly. He then let go an entourage of punches and kicks, all of which I either dodged or deflected. Lee jumped back and looked at me with slight shock...

"A FORMIDABLE OPPONENT!" He yelled, then laid down faster punches and kicks. Eventually, I caught a punch and pulled him into my fist before he could move another muscle. I kneed him in the side, and then kicked him so he would fly off the mat.

He got up and looked at me, wiping the blood from his mouth. He looks at his hand and laughs, then proceeds to completely pass out. I just stood there watching as Guy rushed to his side, shaking him, tears coming out of his eyes like waterfalls and yelling his name. I was getting more and more creeped out by their relationship by the second.

"LEE! LEE WAKE UP! LEE!"

"G-Guy s-sensei... I... failed you, Sensei..."

Crying is heard from both of them. "No Lee! I failed YOU! I should have taught you better than this!"

This went on until the bell rang. Finally, last period... Music. My favorite class.

* * *

Next Chapter: Pain.

How will music let two people get to know each other? Find out! Next on Angel Lawliet Chronicles!

Sorry this was so late! I got distracted :D

Please review :D It will help me become a better writer!


	3. Pain

Pain

Gaara's P.O.V

Everyone in the classroom looked at Angel in shock when Lee got knocked out. _How the hell did she do that?_ I thought to myself, I still couldn't read her. I looked over at Naruto who was looking at the cloaked members of the Akatsuki, they were looking at Angel intensely, whispering under their breaths.

The bell rang after a while, Naruto and I stood up and I made sure Angel was following us out. We all had music together as well, Naruto played the drums, I played the piano... it made me wonder what Angel played. I glanced at her, and quickly looked away... I couldn't tell if she was looking at me or not.

We entered the classroom, and sat on the very top bleacher. Kakashi was sitting in his chair, smiling at us. "Welcome to music class Angel. What's your forte?" He asked her, pointing to the different instruments. Angel looked over at them, and I watched as she stood up and chose the violin. She tested it, tuned it, and played a little piece of a song. It sounded sad.

Angel's P.O.V

Kakashi seemed a little shocked that I chose the violin, and nodded approvingly. "I haven't heard anyone play the violin in a very long time. Glad to see such a beautiful instrument not go to waste!" He said, a smile reaching his eyes.

I sat down next to Gaara, instrument in hand, holding it like my life depended on it. "Jeeze Angel don't break it!" Naruto said jokingly, and I loosened my grip. Others began to enter the classroom. First was a bleach blonde haired girl, wearing quite a bit of purple. Then that stupid Sasuke Unchiha... Then a guy with a pineapple for a head, who sat next to Naruto. I stared at him intently, waiting for him to introduce himself as a long-haired boy sat down as well. I perked up a bit... His eyes... they were lovely! So pale. 'Are you blind?' I asked in sign language. The pineapple headed man busted out laughing.

"What did she say?" The boy asked the pineapple head, and he said, "She asked if you were blind!" He exclaimed, laughing still. The blind-looking man glared at me and asked snarkily, "I don't know, are you deaf?!"

Pineapple head immediately stopped laughing, and looked at me. I was blushing... not that anyone could see. 'No. I'm just a mute. Sorry..' I signed with slightly slouched hands. "Oh calm down Neji. Don't worry, he's just a prude! My names Shikamaru! What's yours?" He asked. Gaara was giving him a death glare, and I wondered why. "Her name is Angel. Why the hell aren't you her guide?" He asked him with slight anger... I didn't know I was such a bother...

"Because I don't have any of the same classes as her, and they don't know I speak sign language." He said to him. Shikamaru seemed like a very logical person. Neji laughed a bit and asked, "Jeeze hate her already? She really that annoying?" I started to become very sad... I looked at Gaara, and he looked at me, and shook his head. "No. I just don't think I'm the right guide for her..." He said and turned around. Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru gave each other strange looks.

Kakashi cleared his throat, and everyone started to settle down and listen to him. "Alright class. Today, and for the rest of this semester, you will all be working on a project, which will be performed in the upcoming talent show. You guys will have a week to choose your partners, and what piece you will be performing. So, take this week to talk to each other, and get something worked out. Have fun!" He ended and sat down, reading a strange looking novel...

I turned around to see the four of them already talking to each other. I was left out... as usual. I quietly scooted away, and jumped off the bleachers, looking around. I saw at least 5 doors that said 'Practice Room' and entered one at random. This one had a piano, and a set of drums. I closed the door, tested my violin, and began playing, moving around the room as I did so.

Gaara's P.O.V

As the four of us were talking, we didn't notice Angel leave... I looked around, feeling a slight panic. I couldn't see her... "Where is Angel?" I suddenly asked. Kakashi heard me, and pointed to a room. I sighed in relief and nodded my head towards him. The four of us got up and entered the room Angel was in, which just so happened to be our practice room... when I opened the door... I was greeted with the saddest song I have ever heard. After a minute, the song ended, and we just stood there, with the door closed, looking at her...

"That was really beautiful Angel..." Naruto said after a while. Angel bowed slightly, and signed 'Thank you. What do you guys play?' She asked. I answered, "I play Piano, Naruto plays drums, Shikamaru plays bass, and Neji plays the cello." She nodded.

The four of us started talking again, Angel sat against the wall, body slouched a bit. Shikamaru and Neji eventually left the room, and Naruto sat at his drum set, me at my piano. Naruto played a beat, I followed... and eventually so did Angel... (link to song: watch?v=RSTD1GxSjLg )

We finished and looked at each other with slight astonishment. Naruto said excitedly, "THAT WAS AWESOME!" I smiled a bit and nodded, and Angel jumped and clapped excitedly. The bell rang, and we all sighed. Naruto looked at me with a worried look and I shrugged. "Gaara, you wanna come over? Angel you can come too." Naruto said... worry seeping from his tone. I shook my head. "No, but thanks. I'll see you guys tomorrow." I said as I got up and left.

Naruto's P.O.V

I watched Gaara leave, and immediately felt horrible. Why do I continue to do this every single day? I thought to myself, like I do every day. I suddenly remembered Angel was in the room and smiled widely at her. "So Angel! Should I walk you home or something?" I asked her, mostly out of being polite. She shook her head, and left... She was nice, but kind of creepy. I mean I know she's not really creepy, but that cloak... it's getting on my nerves. I walked up to Kakashi with a soft sigh...

"Naruto? What's up?" He asked me. I looked at him worriedly, contemplating. Not realizing that I do this every single day... I bit my lip til it bled, and grinned, waving. "Just wanted to say bye! Cya tomorrow Kakashi!" I exclaimed, rushing out of the room before he could stop me... I walked home. Contemplating what the fuck I was doing.

Angel's P.O.V

I felt tension as I was walking home, I didn't know why though. I never know... I walked past a house that was more gloomy then the rest of them.. A house that didn't stand out to me this morning. So why now? I looked over at it, and heard a slam, jumping and looking at the now cracked door. _What was that? Was that door cracked? No... Somethings wrong. Should I check?_ I asked myself... then remembered something my mom told me when I was little. "Always getting yourself into trouble... you can't save everyone darling." She would tell me as she dressed my wounds... I started walking away from the house, feeling guilt in my heart. _Maybe they are just moving furniture..._ I tried to convince myself. But I knew that was a lie. I looked back at the house, and was suddenly really creeped out... in the window on the top floor, was a puppet, looking down at me... it moved. I rushed home immediately.

I slammed the door to my home, and sighed with relief... I went up to my room, and took off my cloak, sighing softly as I thought about the day.

Gaara's P.O.V

I walked into my house, only to be greeted by my 'father' with an immdeiate punch to the stomach. He sent down more punches my way, and I blocked them with my arms, to keep them from hitting my face. He started yelling at me, something about cleaning the garage that he never told me to clean, and how he had to do it himself because I was such a selfish ungrateful child. He finally stopped... and I glared at him.

"What did you eat at school today? HM?" He asked me. I shook my head. "Nothing" I said. He slammed me against the door, so hard I heard it crack. I grunted out a painful noise, and he smiled. He shoved his fingers in my mouth and I gagged emptily, and he nodded. "That's right. You don't get to eat! Eating is for PEOPLE! NOT MONSTERS LIKE YOU!" He said, walking into the kitchen, and pouring dog food into a bowl, handing it to me. "EAT IT!" He yelled.

I did. I was used to it by now... I've been eating dog food since I was about seven. It was disgusting... but I was used to it. I finished the bowl, and watched as he sat down, waving at me dismissively... I went to the bathroom, and immedietly threw up. I tried to keep it down, but I couldn't today. I rinsed my mouth out, and locked myself in my room, passing my sister, who pretended nothing was happening... I sat on my bed, and deeply contemplated what I was about to do next. I took the razor blade... and I held it to my skin... but I couldn't.

I couldn't hurt myself like I have seen so many other people do on youtube. I guess I really have no control... over anything.

He came in that night, while I was 'asleep' and laid down next to me, holding me, like he did every night.

"I love you, son..." He said.


	4. Suspicion

Author's Note: Whew. I was gone for 7 dang months... so much for a chapter every Friday right? Okay well I am back now and writing a lot again. Please don't forget to leave a small comment to tell me how horrid or good this story is ^^ Thanks!

 **zjlsbcisuvhip Shukaku**

 _Gaara talking to shukaku_

 _thoughts_

 _ **P.O.V SWITCHES**_

* * *

Suspicion

 _ **Angel's P.O.V**_

As I walked to school, I looked up at the creepy house I had passed yesterday, looking at the cracked door, which was now opening. I was going to turn away, when I saw a flash of red, and out came Gaara...

My eyes widened in shock, and I immediately ran up to him. I was not about to let this go, not again. 'Gaara? What happened to your door?' I signed to him when he turned around, looking slightly shocked to see me. "Angel..." He said softly, looking at the door to his house. "We were... moving the couch, and it fell on the door." He finished.

Something suddenly changed... Gaara's eyes changed before mine. They looked... dead. "Let's go." He said in a harsh tone, I cringed a bit, but followed him. I could see he was struggling to move. I could see the limp in his step, the hand to his side that he tried to hide, the look of pain on his face when I looked up at it. Something happened... and he won't tell me the truth. _ Maybe Naruto will know..._

When we got to the school we were greeted by a smiling Naruto, Gaara waved slightly and coughed, and Naruto's smile immediately disappeared. "You okay Gaara?" Naruto asked him, worry apparent on his face, seeping from his voice. Gaara just nodded and walked past him as if Naruto was a stranger. I looked up at Naruto, wishing so badly at that moment that I could speak. Naruto looked at me and shook his head. "Don't get involved Angel. Just leave it be." He said and I, of course, shook my head. Now I HAD to get involved. I was going to find out what was happening to Gaara.

One way... or another.

* * *

Naruto's P.O.V

 _This is bad..._ I thought to myself. I could tell Angel's mind was already working as she looked back at Gaara, her posture seemed a bit straighter than usual. I watched as she followed Gaara to their first period, sighing with worry. I knew. _If Angel knows I know, she must hate me..._

I went into the bathroom, and stayed there until the bell rang, going to my first period with a cloud hanging over my head. _Why was I so afraid to do anything? Why couldn't I help my best friend by just telling someone? Because I am a coward. I am useless._

 _I hate myself._

Angel's P.O.V

We entered first period, and I watched as Gaara struggled to sit down next to me. Kakashi seemed to notice too, because he walked up to Gaara and started whispering to him. "You okay?" He asked him. Gaara nodded. Kakashi sighed and looked at me, I looked back up at him.

Finally, I tapped on Gaara's shoulder and signed, 'No more games. What happened to you? I can see the limp, I can see the pain in your face. Tell me or I will find out myself, Gaara.' My hand movements were strong, I felt strong... He shook his head. "Fine..." He said. Kakashi listening intently. "I fell down the stairs in my house and slammed into the door. That's how the door got cracked." Gaara said in his now more monotonous voice.

 _Lies_. I thought to myself. But what could I do? I can't help without real proof. "You should be more careful Gaara." Kakashi said, a look that told us 'I know your lying but I won't say anything because you'll just lie some more.' Kakashi sat back down and I sighed softly.

I sat there, thinking about what my dad would do in this situation... Thinking about how mother would get it out of him. I winced, immediately getting my mother out of my mind. Dad... he would just put cameras in the house. No... If I was going to do this, it was going to be MY way. The safe way.

I needed to break down his walls, and get him to trust me.

 _ **Gaara's P.O.V**_

I sat there looking out of the window the entire period, thinking about what happened last night, and trying to ignore the immense amount of pain I was in. I knew Angel was getting suspicious. But she can't do a damn thing without proof, right? **Right... Not a damn thing.** The voice in my head said, making me jump a bit, wincing in pain.

 _Don't do that. Where the hell did you go?_

 **Where ever you put me. I'm inside YOUR head remember?**

I sighed in annoyance, which I knew Angel heard. _I don't remember telling you to leave in the middle of a huge crisis._

 **I'm only here when you're not.**

 _Right. Ready to take over?_

 **Yep.**

The bell rang for next period, and I got up, leaving the room, not caring if Angel was following me or not. When I got to art class I immediately sat down, and Angel sat down next to me, her hands signing something. I looked over and caught the last piece of her sentence. 'Leave me?' Which I assumed to be 'Why did you leave me?'

"I am your guide until you know your way around. Now I'm done being your guide." I said. She just stared at me, shoulders slouched. 'I thought we were friends?' She asked me. I glared at her. "I don't even know you. The only person I even consider my friend, is Naruto." I said in a harsh, monotonous tone. She pulled back a bit, and got up. 'FINE THEN!' She signed with angry hands. She left my side, and sat on the other side of the room.

I could see the tear drops hitting her canvas the whole class period...

Naruto's P.O.V

When the bell finally rang for lunch, I practically ran to the cafeteria, and sat where we all usually sat. Except... Angel didn't sit with us today. She sat by herself... Gaara sat next to me and I gave him a look. "What did you do?" I asked him.

Then, I noticed it. "Shukaku..." I whispered softly. Gaara aka Shukaku nodded. "Sorry Naruto, but that stupid little girl was getting way too close to us." He said, looking at Angel like she was trash or something. I grew angry. "Well she's MY friend. ANGEL!" I yelled out and she looked up at me, and got up, heading over and sitting next to me instead of Gaara. "Can't have ya sitting alone now can we?!" Then I whispered, "Don't worry about Gaara... He'll come back." She looked up at me, tilting her head in curiosity. I shook my head.

I couldn't tell her.

* * *

 _ **Angel's P.O.V**_

As the week passed, I noticed Gaara was getting more reserved, more emotionless by the day. I decided I would still sit next to him in every class, every day. But he refused to talk to me. He wasn't limping anymore. But I could tell he wasn't eating. His cheeks were sunken in, his clothes barely fit... I brought two lunches to school today, and gave one to Gaara when lunch came around. He just stared down at it, like he didn't know what to do with it.

But I could see emotion coming back to his eyes. This one looked like... hurt. Naruto and I watched from the corner of our eyes as he took the sandwich with shaky hands, and just as he was about to bite into it, he dropped it, and shoved the lunch away. He glared down at the table, and didn't say or sign another word the whole day...

He wouldn't even play his piano. Naruto tried to get him to talk, but he wouldn't budge. I tried saying I needed help saying something to Kakashi, but he wouldn't even look at me.

It was like he was a shell. Like he was no longer Gaara... but someone who no longer had a soul.

(WARNING: This next scene is not for the weak of heart. Beginning and end will be marked with _**XXX**_ )

 ** _Gaara's P.O.V_**

 ** _XXX_** I got home, and was greeted with the usual beating, the fingers down my throat, and the dog food that I later threw up. I went into my room, grabbed the razor blade and did what I have been doing for the past few nights. I held it to my skin, and sliced into my wrist, sighing with relief. Instead of doing it horizontal like I usually did, I did it vertically this time. I watched the blood pour out of my arm, and quickly realized I was losing consciousness. I wrapped my arm with a belt and pulled on it, watching as the blood stopped, and I passed out. _**XXX**_

I woke up, and looked at the clock. 7 AM. I was in my bed, my arm was wrapped... Turnakit gone. I got up, dressed, and went down stairs to leave my house. Until I heard a familiar voice... "Yes sir it'll be for about two weeks! That's how long we have on the project." Naruto said. My father responded with "Alright, fine. He can stay over for two weeks, and THAT'S IT." In a very harsh tone. Naruto thanked him and came out, looking at me. "Pack your shit. NOW." He said sternly. I did as I was told this time... I didn't have a choice.

"I went upstairs and packed what little I had, then headed down, and followed Naruto out. Jiraiya, Naruto's dad, was in the car waiting. He wrinkled his nose and looked at me, saying "Gaara you smell like death... Something wrong?" _Nope, just dying from the inside._ I thought of saying. But I shook my head no instead. We drove to a huge house on top of a hill, and I looked a Naruto questioningly. "Come on." He told me, grabbing a bag of his own, which I had just noticed... He walked up the drive way to the strange house and rang the doorbell, and some guy with white hair and red eyes answered. "Ah, you guys must be Angel's friends! Please come in, we've got everything set up!" He said, he looked really excited. More excited th-...

"Holy..." Naruto said out loud. I simply stared in astonishment. It was the most beautiful house I have ever seen in my entire life. "Your house is lovely..." I said, being polite. He nodded and said, "Yeah... It used to be our parents' house." He said, looking at us. "Used to be?" Naruto asked. The man nodded. "Yeah... she hasn't told you yet huh?" He asked us. we both shook our heads... "Told us what?" Naruto asked.

"Our parents are dead." He said, looking a bit sad. But not as sad as one would expect... "Oh yeah! My name is Nathaniel! You can just call me Nate!" He said with a smile. He then lead us to a big room which had a big, king sized bed in it. I looked around the room and looked at Nate, and he said "This is where Angel wants you all to sleep." He said, and I tensed up immediately. _All of us? In the same bed?_ I thought to myself, my heart racing.

Angel came out of the bathroom, cloak still on, and signed "I wanted us to practice for our show outside of class!" She pointed to her violin. It was very beautiful, obviously custom made. Naruto grinned and said "That's an awesome idea!" and looked around. "Hey, is there a drum set here or anything? A piano?" He asked curiously. She nodded, and lead us into another room which was upstairs, sound proof by the looks of it. It was a studio. A music room. It was amazing! The walls were lined with instruments, there was a wicked drum set and a piano tucked into the corner.

We practiced for a bit, then Nate brought us some lunch. Ramen. He handed the three of us the bowls, and I simply stared at mine while Naruto and Angel started eating. I could feel someone next to my head, then I heard a whisper. "She knows. Heal while you can." and Nate left the room. I looked at Angel, and couldn't tell if she was looking at me or not. Her noodles looked like they were just going into a black hole... I decided to try a bite. It was... amazing. I suddenly started scarfing down the ramen, and when it was empty, my brain screamed **MORE MORE MORE MORE!**

I bursted out in an embarrassing voice that sounded desperate, "Is there more?" and they both stopped eating, and looked at me, Naruto shocked. Angel, I dunno. But she got up, took my bowl and motioned for me to follow her. There was a lot more. We all ate until we couldn't.


	5. A Living Nightmare

Holy balls, hi everyone. So it has been quite some time since I last wrote. A few life updates for those who care: I am no longer engaged, I am currently single unless i can work things out with my most recent boyfriend, and I have a career in mind for myself :) LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!

* * *

 _ **Gaara's P.O.V**_

The rest of the night was filled with movies, snacks, games, and Angel staring at me studiously the whole night. When it came around to sleeping, Angel had Naruto on one end, and me on the other, putting herself in the middle. She turned towards me, and closed her eyes, and when I thought everyone was asleep, I got up, went into the bathroom, and didn't come out for an hour.

Angel's P.O.V

I watched as Gaara went into the bathroom, and waited patiently until he came out. When he came back to bed, he had a fresh metalic scent on him... A scent I knew all too well, a scent that sent shivers through my body and haunted my nightmares.

The scent of blood.

The two weeks Naruto and Gaara stayed with me flew by, leaving me feeling like I got nothing done. Gaara ate very little, no matter how much I tried forcing him. There was only so much I could do... I can't just shove food in his mouth... I tried getting him to tell me about his family, but all he said was that they were nothing special. There was a time he actually got angry at me, and yelled at me to stop asking, Naruto was a little shocked and told him to calm down. I left the room for a while... I tried to play the metalic scent off as him possibly throwing up blood, but I knew in my heart that it wasn't true.

I tried getting Gaara to stay longer, but he was not having that. He insisted he needed to get home to help out around the house, but honestly I was scared for him. As I watched my two friends leave, I burst into tears. I had failed. Nathaniel laid a hand on my shoulder, and said in a comforting tone, "There is only so much you can do, Angel. You can't help someone who doesn't want help... Or who doesn't know how to accept it. And you can't blame yourself. Just keep trying.

And so I did. I kept trying, and trying, and trying.

* * *

Naruto's P.O.V

When I walked into my house, my thoughts became blank. My emotions became numb... I could no longer hide the depression and despair I had felt. The hate I felt, towards myself. I looked at a poster on my wall, it said "BELIEVE IT!" In big red letters... I ripped it down. I tore my bed apart, smashed my laptop, put holes in my walls, ripped my furniture apart until Jiraya came in with wide eyes, staring at me as I destroyed everything in my room. I couldn't take it anymore, all my emotions were boiling over! _Why didn't I think about what Angel just did?! Lie and just say we have a stupid project! I'M HIS BEST FRIEND AND I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO HELP HIM!_ I thought to myself as I kept destroying my room, not even realizing Jiraya was standing in my doorway. When I got to my father's statue, he stopped me, and grabbed the statue from my hands. "NARUTO!" He screamed at me. I suddenly realized I was screaming... and I stopped, my throat hurt, my voice crackling. "Why did you adopt me?!" I asked suddenly, Jiraya looking extremely saddened, to the point of tears. "Naruto... I adopted you because I love you... What's wrong?" He asked me. I looked up at him, and looked down, suddenly silent as I felt tear drops on my head. "Naruto?" I heard him say in a sad tone as everything went black.

Gaara's P.O.V

I walked into my house cautiously, not noticing anyone around, I quickly headed up to my room, putting my things back in place. I heard the door slam behind me and lock, and I sighed, turning around. "Enjoy yourself?" My father asked, the scent of alcohol on his breath, a fresh needle mark in his arm. I simply shrugged. "What did you eat?" He asked... "Not much... soup. They forced me to eat it." I said in a monotonous voice, looking at him with dead eyes. My father glared at me, and so the violent beating began.

I was left sprawled out on the floor, bruises everywhere, blood oozing from my mouth and wrists bleeding from open cuts. I got up, only to be kicked back down, and kicked again, making grunts of pain. He did a final kick into my stomach, which made me throw up anything that was left. Then he left, slamming the door as hard as he could. I couldn't get up... I curled in a ball, and felt myself passing out...

I can't take this anymore...

Angel's P.O.V

When I got to school the next day, I didn't see Naruto... at all. Neither did I see Gaara. I struggled through the day, trying to communicate to Kakashi sensei, and various other students. When school was over, I went to Gaara's house, and climbed on his roof, looking for him in the various windows, until I found him...

He was sleeping in his bed. I could hear that his breathing was wheezy... maybe he was really sick after all. Next was Naruto. I went over to his house, and gently knocked on the door, a white haired man answering. He looked extremely sad... I grew worried. I waved at him, and wrote on a piece of paper, 'Naruto?' He waved me up the stairs. "Maybe you can get him to talk..." He said, leading me to Naruto's room. He left, and I opened the door, and stood still. His room was destroyed... I walked in, closing the door, smelling the stench of fresh blood... I saw Naruto sitting on his bed, just staring at the floor... he was hiding something in his hands... it was a knife... I suddenly noticed blood on his orange sheets... I silently pried the knife from his hands, and got a first aid kit from my bag... the cuts were verticle... I cleaned and stitched Naruto up, bandaging his wounds as he started to struggle and cry. "Stop!" He yelled out in a hoarse, broken voice. I looked at him sternly, but softened my expression when I saw how sad he looked. I finished what I was doing and sat next to him, hugging him as he started sobbing. He was mumbling incoherent words, but I caught a few... "Terrible friend" "Worthless" "Hate myself..."

That was when I stopped him and made him look at me. I shook my head. I started writing on my notebook, and I handed it to him, watching as he read it with tears streaming down his face. It read "Stop blaming yourself for things you can't control. Gaara needs you to be strong for him. Gaara needs you ALIVE. Without you... Naruto, Gaara would be dead without you. So pull yourself together. We need to figure out how we are going to help Gaara."

Naruto shook his head... "We can't help Gaara." He said, and I gave him a look... "Gaara's dad is Rasa..." Naruto said, and my eyes widened. "Rasa..." I whispered in terror. I suddenly couldn't see anything, everything was blurry... I couldn't breathe, I couldn't make a sound... I held my throat.

Naruto's P.O.V

I watched as Angel started having an anxiety attack, and I made her look at me, taking her free hand in mine. "Angel?!" I yelled out. My dad came in, and threw his hands up. "The hell happened?!" He said, noticing Angel was having a mental melt-down.

She looked at Jiraya with terror, got up, and ran out of my house before I could even ask her what the hell just happened... My dad and I just looked at each other with confused expressions on our faces. Then he looked around, and saw the blood on my bed, and looked at me with the saddest expression I had ever seen on his face...

"What... did you do?" He asked me, looking at my wrists...

"Dad..." I whispered, and looked up at him with tear filled eyes... "I have to tell you something." I said bravely, and started telling him about Gaara and his father.

Nathaniel's P.O.V

I heard the door slam open, and watched as my sister rushed into the house, panting, crying, screaming...

"Angel?!" I asked loudly, worriedly. She started signing to me frantically, but I couldn't read what she was saying... "Angel! Stop! You need to calm down, and slowly tell me what the hell is going on. Is it Gaara?" I asked her.

'IT'S EVERYTHING!' She signed exaggeratedly. 'Everything is falling apart! Naruto tried to kill himself, Gaara didn't come to school, and RASA IS HIS FUCKING FATHER!" She finished, frantically going about the house, looking for something I obviously didn't care about because I was so shocked...

"WHAT?!" I screamed loudly. "RASA?! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME! OUT OF ALL THE PLACES TO BE HE'S HERE?!" I screamed out. My heart started beating frantically, my mind was going haywire, and I stopped breathing, until I saw Angel with the machine gun I kept in the spare room...

"What the fuck are you doing?! You can't go killing him!" I yelled out and she looked at me, her eyes blood shot from crying and wide with terror. 'Not again! I can't! Not again!' She signed. I grabbed her before she could go out the door, and held her in my arms as we both cried, a mixture of shock, and fear going through both of us.

It was... a living nightmare...

* * *

Jesus, everyone is losing their damn minds! Mental Breaks? Secrets? Machine Guns?! What next?!

Find out in the next chapter of - Angel Lawliet Chronicles :)


	6. Secrets

Wow been more than a year and I am finally back and ready to update again haha! It's been quite a while and I have decided to take this story into a different direction, so I am sorry if things seem a little jumpy in this one! I made edits to the other chapters to try and coincide with this one :)

Enjoy!

'ajbsjdb' Sign language

 **Shukaku**

 _Gaara talking to Shukaku_

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Secrets**

 _ **Angel's P.O.V**_

I had no idea what the hell we were going to do. All I knew, was that we could NOT run. We could NOT hide. I had to set aside my intense fear, and figure out a way to save my friends. I looked at Nate, and made sure I had his attention. 'The snake man is here too...' I signed, another wave of emotions passed over his face. "What do we do?" He asked me. I looked straight into his eyes, mine filled with exhaustion. Just when we thought they were gone, when we thought no one in the world would ever move here, no one would ever find us. Here they are.

'Fight.' I signed to him. 'We HAVE to fight. We don't have a choice. Gaara is suffering, I KNOW it! I can't run anymore. I have to save him. Okay? I HAVE to!' I was so frantic, and scared. Nate laid both hands on my shoulders and looked at me, nodding. "Okay. Then we fight. But we do it together, okay?" Nate shuddered out. He was obviously terrified, as was I, but we would never leave each other alone to deal with THEM.

I tried to think about what Mom and Dad would have done, as painful as it was for me to think about them. Dad would have probably tried to set Rasa up. Mom would talk to Gaara and try to get him to admit what was going on. The situation was delicate... I needed to tread lightly. Nate and I both slept in the living room that night. Our M249 laying right under us.

* * *

 _ **Gaara's P.O.V**_

I woke up the next day in immense pain. I winced as I got up and went into my bathroom, looking for ANY meds to help with the pain. Temari came in, tears sitting in her eyes, and handed me a bottle. It was Oxi. "How...?" I looked at her, and she stuttered "I just, said I had intense cramps." She smiled softly at me, but I didn't smile back, or thank her. I looked away and took 2 pills, putting the rest in my backpack. I got ready for school, completely forgetting to take a shower because I saw that I was running late. I noticed that the house was silent, and the ass hole wasn't watching my every move. "Where is he?" I said as I clenched my teeth, fury dripping from my voice. "Oh yeah! Dad is gone on one of his month long trips! He'll be gone for a while." Temari told me, happiness gleaming in her eyes.

I felt relief wash over me. I was waiting for this for a long time. Finally, I can rest. These trips have been what was keeping me from killing myself... Naruto too. He'll be glad to know. I felt a little dizzy from the Oxi, but I ignored it. I walked to school, feeling calm. A feeling I hadn't felt for a long time. I heard someone running up to me, it was Angel. She suddenly stopped and looked at me, her hand went straight to her face. I couldn't see what she was doing. My vision was getting really blurry, I suddenly didn't feel good at all. I looked around, threw up, and then blacked out.

 _ **Angel's P.O.V**_

I saw Gaara limping to school, and rushed up to him, so glad he was okay. Well... as okay as he could be. I caught up to him and he turned around, and I stopped dead in my tracks, my hand shooting up to my nose as I smelled the awful stench of blood and... death. I smelled Death. Gaara suddenly got glossy eyed, and I saw he was about to get sick, and he did. He threw up blood, and then proceeded to pass out, and I caught him, letting out a loud scream. My scream caught the attention of Neji and Shikamaru, and they both rushed back to me, Shikamaru calling someone.

"Naruto? You need to get to Gaara's house RIGHT NOW!" He yelled calmly, but seriously into the phone. Shikamaru then looked at me and yelled "We should get him to a hospital!"

I shook my head furiously, and pointed to the direction of my house. I then pressed a button on my wristband, signaling to Nate that I needed help. I laid Gaara in my lap and used my cloak to try to clean him up, then, I looked at Shikamaru and Neji, and signed 'Please... Don't be scared.' Shikamaru gave me a confused expression, as did Neji, and soon we heard Naruto running up to us.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" He screamed frantically, almost pulling Gaara away from me. I let a growl escape my throat, and he looked at me with anger and fury in his eyes. I shook my head. I then heard Nate pull up next to us in an SUV and he got out and opened the door nearest to me. We both very gently laid Gaara in the back seat, and I could see on the sidewalk that Gaara was bleeding pretty badly. I signaled for everyone to get into the car, and they did immediately, Naruto getting in with me and Gaara, Neji in the front and Shika in the back, watching me.

I did something I never thought I would do again. I ripped a necklace off of my neck, and felt the power rush through my veins. I gasped a little, as I felt my body changing a bit. I raised my hand, and watched as my nails grew longer. Shikamaru and Naruto both looked shocked, rubbing their eyes to make sure they saw right. My hand was glowing green now, and I hovered it over Gaara, breathing deeply. I could see all the wounds... all the scars. He was bleeding internally, and I immediately got to work to stop the bleeding.

 _ **Naruto's P.O.V**_

I saw that.. right? I looked over at Shikamaru and he had the same look on his face. Shock, and slight fear. Gasping, watching as Angel's hand turned green, I almost lunged at her, thinking she was going to hurt Gaara. Shikamaru stopped me, and I looked at him, fear obvious in my eyes. He shook his head. "She's healing him." he explained to me.

Watching her closely, I looked Gaara over and got very sad. He was so hurt. This was probably the worse it's ever been. The car stopped, Nate rushed to open the door, him and Angel taking Gaara inside. We all ran after them, but Nate stopped us from going any further. "She put Gaara in a sterile room. You can see what she's doing through the window, but no matter what, do not go in. It's for his safety. Okay?" He told us. We nodded and he took us into the viewing room, which looked like a one sided mirror.

Neji suddenly sputtered out, "Wait a minute! What the hell are we doing?! Is she even trained to do this?! I'm pretty sure you need more than first aid to treat wounds as serious as Gaara's!" He looked at Nate, who looked back at him, and he nodded. "Maybe she will tell you guys about it one day. Trust me. She knows what she's doing." He said as he watched her. It didn't stop me from worrying about Gaara.

After a few hours, Angel came out looking exhausted. She made a bunch of signs and Nate translated, "She says Gaara is stable, but he HAS to stay in that room with absolutely no contamination. No one can go in there right now. His immune system is shot, and if he gets infected with ANYTHING, he will die. She's treating him for 3 other infections, he can't take any more. His body is starting to fail him. She put an IV in his veins, hopefully it will help. His stomach lining was ripped open, she says it looks like he took some pain meds and his stomach just couldn't handle them. When he threw up, his lining tore open and it was damaging all his organs. If we had taken him to the hospital, he would have died before we got there." She then went upstairs, I assume to clean up.

Nate sighed softly. "We have a lot of extra rooms if you guys wanna stay. Naruto, there is a bed right over there, in case you wanna stay here." He pointed to a corner where there was a nice full size bed tucked into it. I noticed that the waiting area was really nice... "What is this place?" I asked. Nate looked around with what looked like a nostalgic smile. "This used to be my mother's private office. She worked from home and performed surgeries for low income families." he explained. Then left the room, saying he was gonna check on Angel.

 _ **Nate's P.O.V**_

"Are you serious?! I don't think you should tell them Angel! I don't know if they can handle that kind of information right now!" I exclaimed, I couldn't believe what she was suggesting! Telling them all of our secrets!

'I don't think we have much of a choice right now. Look at him! They are going to ask questions Nate! Especially after what I did! I have to tell them. They are good people, maybe they will understand... okay?' She said to me. I couldn't tell from her cloak, but I could feel she was scared. She then took a deep breath, straightened up and went down stairs. I sighed softly and followed her. I was really hoping our past would stay there... But I guess everything had to come out eventually. Angel and I sat in the waiting room, everyone was looking at us.

She started signing, I started translating. 'We know you guys are looking for some explanation. So here it goes. All I ask, is that you guys don't tell ANYONE. Okay?' She looked at everyone, they all nodded immediately. They were all on the edge of their seats, waiting for the answers to their questions.

"So... our parents died a long time ago. The details of how they died is something I am not yet ready to share with you guys, but it was horrible for both of them. After they died, we had absolutely nowhere else to go. We were sent to an institution for "Gifted Children" and that is where our nightmare began. The institution was actually a lab, performing experiments on kids who no longer had families, no one they could turn to. Orphans. It was called "Whammy's House" and it was run and operated by Rasa, who is Gaara's father, and who I know as "The Snake Man" and you guys know as "Professor Orochimaru." she explained slowly. They all looked so confused, but were listening intently.

I kept translating for them, "Most of the kids that went through those experiments, they died... and the rest of them, they were sent to mental institutions, or went crazy and killed themselves after killing a few others. The place was an absolute blood bath. The few who did survive, like me and Nate, they went to different countries so they could never be bothered by the institution ever again. We did too. Just so happens to be the country both of those bastards reside in... Anyways. The experiments consisted of them injecting us with this weird serum... It had a different effect on everyone.'" I explained, then stopped her so I could tell them what it did with me. "It enhanced my mental and physical abilities. I can pass any paper test you throw at me, and I got through the most difficult obstacle courses. I was able to build muscle extremely fast, and I learned just about anything I could lay my hands on. I learned a lot about guns, and eventually, when I turned about fourteen, I was sent on missions, and became their killing machine." I sighed nervously, and looked around. They looked a little frightened, but they were still listening. I then nodded to Angel to continue.

"For Angel, it affected her actual genetic code, and she went through a very painful process they called "Metamorphosis" which basically means her physical features changed drastically, and quickly. She also gained the ability to heal with what they called "Chakura" something apparently everyone possesses, just can't access without proper training, or in this case, experimentation. She gained a lot of abilities, very quickly. So much so that they had to make a special necklace for her, to control the changes and keep her from getting too powerful. She wears that cloak, because she does not look human anymore. People get very scared of her." Naruto suddenly looked very tense, a look of contemplation on his face. He looked at Gaara, who was apparently awake and looking at us with wide eyes. Naruto quickly got up and went over to the window.

Angel got up too, going inside the room, but Gaara looked absolutely terrified. "What's wrong with me?!" He yelled out. Naruto was banging on the window screaming "Gaara No! Nothing is wrong with you! Calm down!"

I realized that the speaker in between the rooms was on. So Gaara heard everything. I was a little confused as to why he was so terrified, then I realized... Something Angel was hinting at. What Naruto was probably contemplating...

What if Gaara was also part of the experiment?

 _ **Angel's P.O.V**_

'Gaara...' I signed to him, he just looked at me, like he was about to have a complete mental meltdown, a look I knew all too well. 'Take a deep breath. You are going to be completely fine, I promise.' I explained, and smiled at him, forgetting he couldn't see me.

"Why am I in here?! What did I do?! I didn't mean it! Let me out! Let me out I won't do it again! I promise!" He was totally freaking out, and I was so confused as to why. 'Gaara? What's wrong? You're okay you just need to stay in here until your immune system can function properly again. You didn't do ANYTHING wrong, you are just badly hurt, okay? Please calm down. You didn't do anything wrong, okay?' I explained to him, moving closer, my hand movements nice and slow so he could understand.

He looked like he was calming down, and slowly leaned back into his bed, looking at the window. He could see Naruto. "I wanna see Naruto..." he said sadly. Naruto's hand spread out onto the glass and he yelled out, "Let me come in! Please!" I shook my head though. 'Gaara, your immune system is compromised. I can't let anyone come in here, okay? But I'll keep the speaker on, and you can still talk to Naruto. Hopefully in a couple days, you'll be okay enough to have visitors. You aren't being punished, okay?' he calmed down, and nodded at me. "Continue..." Gaara said to me. Everyone was looking at me intently, and I nodded, and continued with our secrets.

'Experimentation wasn't all they did. I found out that Rasa was the ring leader in a sex trafficking organization. We didn't realize it at the time... But Nate and I had been accomplices to their crimes. Nate was unknowingly sent on missions to collect women and children who would make good money for them. I was the one who used my own powers to make sure they were healthy and didn't have any diseases. They told us that they were trying to save them from the bad men, and we believed them. We were too young and brainwashed to realize what was really going on. I found out the day before Nate's eighteenth birthday, that they actually had a trafficking organization. The women and children who I found to be diseased, they were all killed. The rest were shipped off and sold to the buyer who would pay the most.' I then stopped, getting very emotional. I felt sick to my stomach.

"That's awful..." Naruto murmered. But then said in a comforting tone, "But it wasn't your guys' fault... you didn't know. What happened after you guys found out?"

"The entire place burned to the ground on my birthday. We were going to call the police, show them the proof. But somehow, everything burned to the ground, and we thought Orochimaru and Rasa did too. But, as it turns out, they faked their own deaths and moved here. Probably doing the exact same thing here." explained Nate, sighing roughly. "Which means whatever organizations they had when we were there, still exist now. Angel and I are trying to figure out a way to stop them, but we HAVE to tread lightly. It's been almost a year since we last saw them, but I'm sure they still remember us, and if they do, they will disappear again."

Gaara sat up, and he said "I wonder if that's where he's been going... to take care of his... organization." He looked at me. "He's out of town for the month. He must have a few fake I.D.s because we have lived here since I was about six." Gaara explained, sighing and laying down again. I nodded. 'I don't think he would keep any information in his actual house. Gaara, tell me what happened to you...' I asked him. He shook his head. 'No. I can't tell you. If I do, and you try and do something, he will move us again. I don't want to move... okay?'

I sighed softly, and nodded. I understood that this was an extremely delicate situation. 'Is there a way we can bug your place?' I asked him, he furiously shook his head. 'He's already got the place bugged.' I snapped my fingers in frustration. I was going to have to figure out another way to catch him. _We can't go to the hospital. If I know him as well as I think I do, he would have already discredited Gaara by claiming mental health issues... And if he is as persuasive as I remember, the doctors believe him._ I sighed in frustration. For now, I was just going to have to do everything I could to make sure Gaara stayed sane... I looked down at his wrists and sighed softly. I now knew he was cutting.

"I'm sorry." He murmured out loud, not loud enough for everyone to hear though. 'For what?' I questioned, tilting my head to the side. He looked down at his wrists too, and back up at me, and I shook my head. 'It's not your fault. We are going to figure this out okay? I promise.' He shrugged and looked down at the ground. I could tell he didn't have a lot of faith. I checked him over, then left the room to go make him some food, Naruto following me. "I told my dad about this whole mess. He's in deep with the local cops, and he's gonna try to see what can be done about this." I nodded my head. I sighed softly, thinking about my dad. I decided to make Gaara some mac and cheese, something that was very easy to digest.

"So... your mom was a doctor. What about your dad?" Naruto asked, and I looked at him. "Right. Sorry." He realized, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. I shrugged, as it didn't bother me so much. When the mac was done, I brought it to Gaara. He looked at it and abruptly asked, "What is this?"

My heart sank. 'How long have you been eating dog food?...' I asked him. I always smelled it on him. He shrugged, playing around with the mac and cheese. "Since I was six. After I killed my uncle." He then froze. Looked at me, panic filling his eyes. He obviously didn't mean to say that. He looked over at the window, but it seemed everyone but Naruto had gone. Naruto was looking at him in confusion. Gaara immediately looked down, I could feel the shame seeping from him. I gently touched his shoulder, but he flinched. He glanced at me. 'It's okay. When you're ready, you can tell us what happened. For now, just heal, okay?' He nodded slowly, and took a bite of the mac and cheese. I could see his eyes light up a bit, and he started eating faster, and I stopped him. 'Slow.' He nodded, and continued eating. When he was done, I took his bowl to go clean it up. Naruto followed immediately.

"Did he say anything to you? Did he tell you what happened?" He questioned. I shook my head and wrote down on a nearby notebook, 'He'll tell us when he's ready. Don't pressure him. I need him to be as not stressed as possible.' Naruto nodded. He understood.

"Now what?" He asked me. I looked at him, and wrote down, 'Now, we wait.' and cleaned up the mess.

Now that they knew our secrets, maybe I could tread a little less lightly.

* * *

I couldn't find a good place to leave this off at, so I am sorry for the shitty ending lol. Hope you guys are still enjoying it! Let me know some of your ideas in the comments and maybe I will include them :) would be kinda cool to write a story together eh?


	7. Recovery

Kind of have a bit of writers block, so I apologize in advance if this chapter sucks haha. Also if you guys have any suggestions on how to improve my writing abilities, that would be amazing :) Thanks a lot! Enjoy!

Edit: So ummmmm this chapter is kind of sad. the **x** marks the spots where it gets heavy, so if you are sensitive at heart don't read them. I can add more detail to these parts, but I don't know how others feel about it. Let me know with a review :)

'lol' Sign language

 _Gaara talking to Shukaku_

 **Shukaku**

 _thoughts_

* * *

 _ **Angel's P.O.V**_

Now is the perfect time to get Gaara out of his house and doing things other than being afraid of going home. I let Gaara choose whatever room he wanted in my home, this would be his safe place when he didn't want to go home. I hid a key in a secret compartment that only Gaara could access. At school, I had to take him to an abandoned classroom so I could change his bandages and make sure he was healing okay. I remember when I saw his body for the first time... I wanted to throw up and cry. He was very thin, to the point where you could see the outline of his bones. This is why he always wore long sleeved shirts and pants... He was also covered in horrific scars, I could identify some of what happened, but not everything. Some were from a spiked whip, some from being cut with a sharp blade, some self inflicted, some not. His back was covered in burn marks and slashes, his legs were all cut up and I thought I could see a scar from a compound fracture... The bone healed well though. His skin looked almost twisted, and mangled. I had no idea the amount of abuse and pain he was going through until I saw all his scars.

I noticed a lot of times, Gaara would tense up at my touch, his breath would hitch in the back of his throat, and it seemed like he would hold it until I was done patching him up. Not surprising for someone who has been through as much as he has. I didn't take any offense to it. I knew it would take time to get used to.

'You are healing nicely' I told him. I smiled, but forgot he couldn't see me, so looked down instead. At that time, there were a lot of rumors going around the school on what I could possibly look like. I've even had people try to take off my cloak, but I always have it wrapped around me tightly. Eventually, our little group would walk in a circle around me so no one would try anything.

The most popular rumor was I had bright blue hair, pale blue skin, and black eyes. I also had a tail and horns that twirled around the back of my head. At least they thought I was pretty. After the incident in the lunch room, it seemed people weren't harassing Gaara anymore. I mean, when would they, I'm around him all the time. The only time I wasn't around him was when he had to go to the locker rooms during martial arts and change... But he seemed okay when he came out.

Since he was getting a lot better, I decided I wanted to take Gaara out that day, and I asked him what he thought about it. He just shrugged his shoulders and said "I've never really been anywhere but Naruto's house and the ramen shop. I guess it would be okay." He looked confused, like he didn't really know how to respond.

I tapped his shoulder to get his attention and signed with enthusiasm 'It'll be a quiet day today. It's just gonna be me, you, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Neji.' He nodded. "Okay, let's do it then." I clapped excitedly and sent a group text to the gang. I bought Gaara a cheap phone for emergencies, so included him as well.

"HE SAID YES LET'S GOOOOOO!" Gaara gave a very slight smile and rolled his eyes.

It was gonna be an amazing day! Or... So I thought.

* * *

 _ **Gaara's**_ **P.O.V**

School was over, and Nate came up in his SUV and drove us all downtown. He parked on the side of the road, and from there we went to grab dinner at Ichiraku's, per Naruto's insistent requests. It was good, everyone seemed to be having fun. There weren't a lot of people out, probably because it was a Wednesday and everyone is at work. She picked an excellent day to go out. After dinner we all went to the arcade, and Naruto was showing me how to play all the games. The only one I was even decent at was pac-man. Naruto and I then saw Angel and Shikamaru playing a game, some strategy game. They were both really focused, and eventually Angel beat Shikamaru. Naruto and Neji both had their jaws drop, apparently Shikamaru had the highest score on this game, and it was just beaten by Angel. She clapped excitedly. 'I've always been really good at strategy games. You did great Shika!' He sighed and waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah,yeah thanks. You beat me though. I didn't even know you could move the control like that!" he said, impressed.

It seemed like everyone but me had a sign name. Shikamaru's was tapping her fingers on her forehead for his nickname "Shika". It was because he was very intelligent. Naruto's was two open palm hits on her heart and running her hand down her arm, because Naruto wore his heart on his sleeve. Nate's was crossing her arms and squeezing her biceps, showing his strength. Neji's was pointing to her eye and then back at him. He had excellent vision. Almost like he could see through walls or something.

I didn't have one yet though. She said it was because she didn't know too much about me, which I guess is fair. Not that I took offense, I didn't give a shit about some stupid sign name... After a couple more hours, we all left the arcade, everyone was laughing and having a good time. It was dark now, and no one else was out. It was only like, six thirty, I was really confused. I thought there would be some people out...

I suddenly got a really creeped out feeling, then Naruto, Neji, and Shikamaru looked at each other with pure horror.

"Oh fuck! We need to leave NOW!" Naruto yelled out.

Angel and Nate looked really confused as did I. "But we are having fun, what's going on?" Nate asked in a very confused, slightly annoyed tone.

"There is a gang that comes out on the thirteenth of every month! They rob people, kill people they basically do whatever the hell they want and no one stops them because they just can't! Not even the Akatsuki can stop them!" Naruto yelled out and turned around to run back to the car.

But it was too late. We were surrounded by people in black cloaks, much like Angel's. We all suddenly heard a deep growl. I looked around to see who it was coming from... But, it was... It was Angel.

"Oh lookie here boys! We got a tough one!" One of the men said. There was no way we were getting out of here alive.

* * *

 _ **Nate's P.O.V xxxxxxxx**_

 _SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT_ SHIT! I thought as we were getting surrounded by men in black cloaks. I immediately took out two knives that I always kept on my wait belt, and Angel started growling really loudly. I didn't know who the hell these people were, all I knew... Was they didn't stand a chance.

One of them lunged at Angel, and she grabbed his throat and simply crushed it with her bare hands. The men in black froze solid, apparently they had never come across someone who would fight back. And never someone like her... Angel let out another deep growl, and all I heard was screaming and feet slamming into the ground as the men in black ran.

"LET ME GO!" I heard, I looked behind me to see a very fast runner, with Neji in his arms. I threw my knife, and it hit him straight in the head and he fell to the ground, blood pooling around him. Neji shoved him off and ran back to us.

We all watched in astonishment as Angel single-handedly killed the men in black. She jumped on one of their backs, and used her legs to break his neck. She grabbed one of their arms, broke it, and shoved the broken piece into his head. She broke one's back with a single kick, and last, she tore into the chest of another, ripped his heart out, and crushed it. _**xxxxxxxx**_

Neji, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Gaara looked with both amazement and intense fear. Angel then turned to us, and I threw them behind me, she was breathing really heavily, but I saw she was only looking at one person. Gaara... "Okay... Gaara. I need you to do something for me..." I said in a very serious tone, staring at Angel.

"What?" He said flatly.

"I need you to walk up to Angel, and tell her you are okay." He looked at me with a very confused expression, like a 'why would she give a shit' expression. "Just trust me." I told him.

He shrugged and walked up to her slowly, Angel was watching his every move. "Angel. I'm okay. I'm not hurt." She then quickly went up to him, and we all froze, except Gaara. He looked very calm. Angel sniffed at him, her face extremely close to Gaara's, and his eyes widened slightly.

 _ **Gaara's P.O.V**_

When she came up to me, I didn't feel a single ounce of fear. In a way, I knew for a fact she wasn't going to hurt me. She started sniffing me, then she got really close to my face, and I felt my eyes smarten. I was staring into the eyes of a demon. Her eyes were glowing a deep, blood red, and in the dim light of the street lamp, I could see her irises were black. Then, I heard it. A small, frail growl, and then she was gone. I blinked and looked around, looked up. But she was gone. Just like that.

"Shit, I need to get you guys home, then I NEED to find Angel. Let's go!" Nathaniel rushed us all into the car, and dropped them all off at Naruto's, then sped off to find Angel. I stayed behind, because I didn't want to go home. I could of stayed at Naruto's but I refused. I had this awful, nagging feeling that I should help him find Angel.

* * *

She wasn't at home, which Nate was seriously hoping she was. I was racking my brain to try and figure out where she could have possibly gone in such a small town, then I remembered something from art class.

'Yanagi..' I whispered.

"What was that?" Nathaniel asked.

"Yanagi. It's a really old willow tree that looks over the ocean. Go this way." I said, pointing left. We were actually really close. "Let me talk to her. It might help that someone other than you isn't afraid of her..." I said to him, looking at him.

He smiled and nodded. "You're right, it'll mean a lot to her, especially coming form you." He beamed. I was confused, but I ignored it.

I could see the willow tree now, and Nate parked the car. I rushed to the willow tree, and looked up. And there she was. Angel, sitting in the tree, curled up into a ball. I climbed the tree easily, since I climbed it many times before, and gently touched her shoulder.

"Hey..." She jumped out of her skin, and looked back at me, pushing herself to the other side of the branch.

"GO!" She yelled out in a broken, cracked, very unused voice. Then covered her mouth. I could feel the wind picking up around us, very violently. I looked around, then at her as the wind calmed.

"Was that... you?" I asked. She gave a very slow nod. I sat back against the trunk and relaxed. "It's okay. I'm not scared. And I'm not leaving until you are home."

I felt so strange. My heart felt... really warm.

I saw her head lean down, tears hitting the trunk. 'You should be.' She signed. I shook my head.

"No. You saved our lives. It wouldn't be fair to be scared of someone who just wanted to protect us. Besides, you already told us about what happened to you. They aren't scared either."

"Yeah Angel! Please come home!" I heard Naruto yell up.

"That was the coolest thing I've every seen! You saved us!" I heard Shikamaru say.

Neji was down there, arms crossed and smiling. "Come on Angel. Let's get you home."

Angel looked down at all of them, and I could feel her sense of relief, and the sadness she felt going away, as happy tears tripped down below. I could see her hands turning to normal. And she looked at me, and signed 'Thank you.'

Then 'I have a sign for your name.' I looked at her with my head tilted. And she touched her forehead, where my Kanji was, and then her heart. 'Your Kanji means love, and you've touched my heart in a way that I thought I would never feel. Thank you, Gaara.' She signed, using my new sign name. I didn't know if I got what she meant.

But I knew that she touched my heart too.

 **I like her. She's nice to us. And her eyes are pretty.**

 _I like her too. Let's see how long she lasts though._

It was too good to be true. One day, Angel would see me. The real me. The me only Naruto accepted. For now though, I'll enjoy her company. While I still can.

 _ **Angel's P.O.V**_

I helped Gaara get off the tree, then went down myself. We all went into Nate's car, and he drove us to our house, where everyone decided to stay the night. They all had their gear and everything. They kept thanking me and telling me how cool I was... I wondered if maybe I should... No. Not yet.

When we got back I went into my bathroom to clean the blood off myself, and looked at myself in the mirror, sighing. When I was cleaned up, I got fresh clothes on and my night cloak. This cloak was very soft, and perfect for sleeping in.

I went downstairs, where Nate was making a late night snack, and sat in the living room with everyone. We all decided to watch a movie, and as we were picking what to watch, Nate came in with some Mac and Cheese. he handed everyone a bowl, Neji the last to receive his, and he sat next to Neji. I heard Neji thanking him for preventing his kidnapping, and Nate laughed and nodded. I could see they were both blushing, looking away from each other. Hmm... They got pretty close at the arcade too actually. I wonder...

The movie started, and we all watched. One by one, everyone was falling asleep.

First, Shikamaru. He was out right after he finished his Mac. Then Naruto, who got halfway through the movie. Then Neji, who was laying on Nate's chest, I gave Nate the thumbs up and he turned bright red. Then Nate fell asleep. Then there was me and Gaara left. I got up and covered everyone with blankets. There was one left, so I decided to share it with Gaara. It looked like he had never had a blanket before, because he kept rubbing it against his face when he thought I wasn't looking. It was... cute.

I signed to him a bit later and said 'You can sleep if you want.' He shook his head violently. 'Nightmares' He signed back. I looked at him with concern on my face, but I didn't press it. A bit later, I could see Gaara was getting really tired. He was practically falling asleep, but trying to force himself to stay awake. I signed softly. 'You can... lay on me, if you want. When I had nightmares, my mom used to lay me on her chest and let me hear her heartbeat. It kept the nightmares away. Maybe it will work for you?' He just sleepily nodded, and leaned into me almost immediately. I adjusted myself so we were both comfortable, then laid him on my chest. He fell asleep, and I kind of touched his hair a little bit. then I gently ran my fingers through it. He moved around a little, but otherwise didn't seem to mind. I fell asleep holding him.

 _ **The Nightmare x**_

I woke up, chained to a bed. The room was dimly lit by a ceiling lamp. I tried pulling on the chains with all my might, but they were very thick, and they shocked me whenever I pulled too hard. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. I looked around, and I saw Gaara, hooked to a wall, looking at me with pure horror on his face.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" He screamed out. Suddenly, a few men came in, they tore Gaara from the hooks, causing him to bleed, and threw him on the bed. What I saw next, would be imprinted into my brain for the rest of my life. I saw that the hooks were smoking, they were hot hooks... I looked back at Gaara, and saw... They were having their way with him. There was NOTHING I could do, I pulled at the chains as hard as I possibly could, but it was to no avail. Gaara was screaming, he was in so much pain! I could smell the fresh blood as they ripped into him with no care... I tried to scream, I tried to plead, nothing came out. Gaara begged me to stop looking, but I couldn't.

When they were done with him, they threw him onto the cold, dirty floor and left. Gaara tried to stand, he tried to get to me. I saw the blood run down his legs, and then, he fainted. **x**

Gaara and I both woke up, startled. He yelled out my name, and I choked out his.

We were both breathing heavily, looking at each other, wondering if we just had the same nightmare. I nodded, and so did he. He looked really ashamed, and like he was about to bolt. I grabbed his hand before he could do anything, and I asked him 'Did that... Did that happen to you?'

He froze. He looked at me as if he didn't know whether or not to tell me. He nodded. 'Not even Naruto knows...' he signed to me. I hugged him.

Everyone else was still asleep. It was about 2 AM. We looked at each other, and it seemed we mutually decided we weren't going back to sleep. I took his hand, and I lead him upstairs to my room, turned the light on and gently closed the door. I sat down on the bed, and he followed me. 'How old were you?' I signed to him.

"Young. In my nightmares, I'm older though. I'm afraid it'll happen again. I was about four when it started, and six when it ended. I was injected with stuff too, by my dad... Maybe the same stuff he injected you with. I killed everyone in that place. And I didn't even move from those hooks." He explained, as he showed me what he meant. He took some sand from a zen box by my bed, and started moving it around in the air.

I brightened, and smiled. 'That's amazing!' I told him.

He shrugged. "I killed them all with this sand. My dad has the same ability, but it's ten times stronger than mine. That's why I haven't killed him." I nodded slowly. That was good to know.

I sighed softly, and gently touched his back. He flinched, but didn't move away.

"That's why I'm not there anymore. He doesn't know how to control my power. Even when there is no sand. He also knows I can't beat him... So he just takes whatever anger he has out on me."

I froze, and then I signed 'Does he...' He cut me off, and shook his head. I let go a sigh of relief, still scared for him.

'You can stay here. I can handle your dad if he comes around!' Gaara grabbed my hands, and put them down.

"No. You can't help me. He will kill you, and Nate. Okay?" I looked down, but then I nodded. I understood. Gaara and I laid back down, and he eventually fell back asleep. I stayed up, thinking about what he said... And I decided.

That getting killed wasn't going to stop me from trying.


	8. Perspectives

I hope you guys like to see the other character's point of views :) I often always wonder what the other characters are thinking, so I thought my formatting would be a unique way to allow that and still write in the first person! (cause I can't write in third lmao) Enjoy! Please review and you will get a personal message from MMMEEE :D

P.S Sorry that I don't use 'your' correctly sometimes, i am trying to get better at that, bear with me! Also, this chapter is pretty short. Sorry for that! Next one will be longer, promise!

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 _ **Kakashi's P.O.V**_

Ever since the day Gaara came in wounded, claiming he "Fell down the stairs" I have been watching him closely. I've also been watching Angel. She was all the teachers were currently raving about. She was extremely intelligent, fast, strong, and from my experience, very creative. Her group practiced quite a bit, I was glad to see it wasn't just Naruto and Gaara this year, and was happy to see her adjusting.

Something still didn't sit right with me, and Tsunade agree. "I mean, it's not like she's a bad influence, just something about her is dark and creepy as hell!" Tsunade said honestly, and I agreed.

"I have to say though, she is helping Gaara. I can already see improvement in his mood." I responded. She nodded and said "Wonder what's up with him. I would say he's being abused at home, but there isn't any proof. He hides it well." I sighed softly, and nodded.

"I think you're right. The other day, I was following them, and saw them go into that classroom that we don't use anymore. I thought for sure they were... well you know. But when I scaled the wall to catch them in the act, she was changing his bandages. That kid... He looked like hell took him, spit him out, and took him back over and over and over again." I said glumly. She looked at me with shock evident in her eyes that I didn't say anything, and I sighed. "I know. But Rasa is his father, I've already tried to catch him in the act. Even video evidence doesn't do shit. Pretty sure he is in cahoots with the local cops. They won't do anything. And of course, the FBI can't do jack, because they need the jurisdiction of our police department to even try out this case. There isn't much we can do except wait til he's eighteen and hope for the best. Hopefully he'll survive that long, kid is only fifteen."

Tsunade looked deep in thought, then shouted out "ANBU!" and started texting someone furiously. I sighed and looked at the T.V and decided to turn on the morning news. I was shocked, and shook Tsunade's shoulder furiously, urging her to look at the T.V.

"Breaking news! The gang that has terrified Konoha is no longer a threat! Last night, an individual single handedly killed every single one of them, police arriving to the horrific scene this morning. The blurry footage shows what looks like one of them, turning on them and killing them all to save some teens from being brutally attacked. Here is the footage, it's gruesome so if you're weak at heart DO NOT WATCH!"

Tsunade and I leaned forward intently watching the news. The footage popped up, it was dark and blurry, but Kakashi could make out some of the students. "IT'S GAARA! Naruto?! And... That cloaked person, THAT'S ANGEL!" I exclaimed loudly and looked over at Tsunade, who was also shocked.

"Holy hell, that girl puts up a good fight. You think anyone else will be able to point her out here?" I nodded my head. "I mean, how many people in black cloaks go to this school?" I said, sighing and running my hand through my hair. "Shit, this is gonna be the biggest gossip since Gaara..." I stopped myself, not wanting to say anymore. Tsunade knew, and she nodded.

"You got that right."

 _ **Tsunade's P.O.V**_

After watching the rest of the news with Kakashi, I set out on my own mission. The ANBU, aka the Assassination and Tactical Squad. They are the only ones who can stop all this madness. I messaged an old friend who I knew worked for them, and he called me.

"Tsunade."

"Donzo. I need a favor." I said in a very serious tone.

"Hn. What is it?" He asked, getting straight to the point. Always loved that about Donzo.

"Rasa Subaku." I answered.

"We are already investigating him. The man can cover his tracks like no one else. What's going on?" He asked me, and I huffed a little bit.

"Pretty sure the bastard is beating his son. Kakashi told me he saw his body, it's heavily scarred and damaged." She said, a heavy tone in her voice.

"Figured. He is under investigation for sex trafficking, but we haven't found the right proof yet. One of his victims escaped, and ran to us, she's been here for about a year. Said her brother and sister were being experimented on, and she was sold off to some old fat geezer. Girl is shaken, but as far as we know, nothing happened to her. She killed the old guy who had her, and burned his house down, so basically a dead end."

Something clicked in my brain, and I asked him "Who are the brother and sister?"

"Nathaniel Lawliet, and Angel Lawliet. We have no records of them at all, we can't find them anywhere." He let out a heavy sigh, he'd obviously been up all night. I could hear it in his voice.

"Holy shit. Those two go to this school Donzo! They just moved here like, two months ago!" I exclaimed, smiling triumphantly.

Silence was at the other end of the line. "Donzo?" I asked cautiously. "Be real careful with the girl. She's extremely powerful, and we don't know how brainwashed she is by Rasa." I shook my head. "You don't have to worry, Pretty sure she knows what's going on. She was the one patching Gaara up." I heard a huge sigh of relief.

"We should plan a meet. Dyavol will be glad to know her brother and sister are safe and well. I'll inform her of the news and text you the details." he said curtly.

"Sounds good. See you soon." I clicked the end button, and took a few well deserved shots of Sake!

 _ **Rasa's P.O.V**_

I hate that little shit so much. First killing my wife with his fucking existence, then killing my brother-in-law. Ungrateful piece of shit can't just appreciate that he's alive. Brat owes me his life. Should of taken it like a man, but no, instead he fucking wiped out one of my best brothels! Lost so much money because of that little ungrateful bastard. My thoughts were interrupted by the muffled screams of the woman below me, and I kicked her in the side. She cried out in pain and I kicked her again, but harder.

"Shut up you little wench! You're my property and you'll do as I say!" I told her as I handed the ten thousand to her own father. I could hear her muffled pleas of "Daddy don't do this! Don't leave me! They'll hurt me! Daddy!" I grinned, feeling the wickedness plastering across my face. I grabbed her by the hair, and dragged her, throwing her in the back of the van with two of my best men.

"Training starts now, whore." I sneered. I saw them rip her clothes off as I slammed and locked the van doors, and heard her piercing screams and cries as they tore her apart. Too bad she wasn't a virgin, woulda gotten paid ten times what I paid for her. People LOVE virgins. I got into my own car, following the van, but farther back as to not draw suspicion.

After an hour, finally made it back to the fucking place, and I stepped out. I went inside and took in the air, the smell of blood, sex, tears, despair? Oh yeah. That's what got me off. I looked around at all the captors, chained up to the walls, their dead eyes looking up at me. "Don't worry, you'll all be put to work real soon!" I said in a provoking manner. I heard the sudden screams and cries of them all, and laughed.

I walked through the double doors on the other side, and walked down the hall towards my office, just listening to the sounds. There were moans of the boys and girls whose drugs were working nicely, screams of the ones whose drugs wore off, or who didn't need any. Some clients LOVED hearing the screams and struggles of the one beneath them. Lots of slapping, flesh hitting flesh, groans of despair, pleas for help, pleas for death. All of which I love to hear.

I stepped into my office, filed some paperwork, and then called up a few clients who were looking for... special appointments. They paid me real well to let them do whatever they wanted to the one of their choice. Usually ending in the death of the slave. Oh well, can always buy more slaves!

I turned my attention to a file which had photos of more slaves for purchase. One in particular caught my eye... A boy. Blonde. Blue eyes. Interesting scars on his cheeks... Ahhh yes. The little brat's friend. Naruto Uzumaki. I read up on the details, and someone was offering to kidnap him for about fifty thousand. I called up the man.

"Yes?" The man answered hastily.

"This is Subaku." I said, authority evident in my voice.

"Do you accept?" the man answered.

I grinned. I could already see all the money I can make with this little bitch. He was a failed experiment, never thought he'd grow up to be so worthy of my brothels.

"Yes." I accepted, and grinned more from ear to ear. "Bring the little fox straight to me."


	9. Memories

I post chapters whenever I finish them :) So this is usually every day, every other day. Sometimes longer if I am experiencing writers block. I am glad to see so many people reading in my traffic stats! Please **Review** because reviews are my **crack** *eye twitches from withdrawal* Plus you will get a **special message** from meeee! (If you care about that lol) You can even tell me things you'd like to see :) I'm kinda writing as I go, I have like a main idea but no real plan so I am TOTALLY open to suggestions! :) would be kinda fun to write with you guys! OKAY BAI ENJOY!

 ***Trigger warning* If you get easily triggered by abuse, rape, suicide, gruesome scenes, etc. avoid the** **x.**

'sign language'

 **Shukaku**

 _Gaara talking to Shukaku_

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 ** _Angel's P.O.V_**

Naruto and I have been taking Gaara out a lot this past week. Over the time I've spent with Naruto, I have come to the conclusion that Naruto is someone who is... familiar to me. I'm not sure how, or why, but I know him somehow. Maybe it was before my parents died, when we used to live here. I push the thoughts to the back of my mind as we came up to Yanagi, the old willow tree that was near a HUGE clearing. Today, we were going to have a little picnic. I packed a huge lunch for the boys, and they brought their swim trunks, Gaara brought a shirt since he didn't want to go in 'naked'. He was fully healed now, and his mood seemed to be a lot better since his dad left. We had two and a half weeks left before it was time for him to come back. I was trying to make the most of it for Gaara. I was still working on a way to get him the hell out of that house. I could try to fight him myself, but if I remembered correctly, he is extremely powerful.

"Hey Angel! EARTH TO ANGEL!" I heard Naruto yell. I turned to him, and he yelled again "YOU COMING IN?!" I felt my face redden and I shook my head no. Gaara sort of scowled at me, and then walked up the hill to where I was.

"If you aren't going neither am I." I knew he couldn't see, but I scowled at him and signed 'I can't, my cloak might fall off!' He sighed "Yeah well my shirt might fall off and I'm still going. Come on... I don't wanna go alone." I smiled and signed 'You have Naruto!' and he threw his hands up in defeat and walked back down to Naruto. I snickered quietly to myself.

I set everything up and then I took a look around the place. It was breathtaking... I set up on top of the hill, under the vines of Yanagi, and I could see a big open clearing which was surrounded by other smaller willow trees. It was a pretty secluded, quiet area, and it left me wondering how many people knew about it. I looked toward the ocean, and far in the distance of the beautiful teal colored waters, I could see the outline of mountains. It was so peaceful here. (I noticed that I wasn't doing any scenery details, how did I do?)

Suddenly, my ears pricked as I heard quiet footsteps behind me, and I turned quickly. Only to see Nate, Neji, and Shikamaru! I breathed out a sigh of relief and threw a rock at Nate. "OUCH!" He yelped and looked at me in confusion. 'You scared the shit out of me! Bastard!' We took a moment to look at each other and he busted out laughing. Neji and Shikamaru smiled and set up their own blanket. All three of them ran down to the water and dove in, playing all kinds of water games I was unfamiliar with.

After a couple hours, I saw Gaara coming up, soaking wet and out of breath. He plopped down next to me with a loud _'squelch'_ and some water splashing onto me. 'Having fun?' I signed to him. He nodded. "Yeah actually I am. Thanks for taking us here, this place is awesome." he said, a much happier tone in his voice. Ever since we had that nightmare, we've gotten pretty close to each other. I found out his mother died giving birth to him, his abuse started when he was three, and he even told me about Shukaku, though I have yet to meet him. Naruto's theory is that Gaara created him as a safe place in his head, and that made sense. Except I knew better. I knew Shukaku was actually part of the injection. My theory is that Gaara managed to separate himself from the demonic entity in his body, and instead of becoming one like me and my entity, they became completely separate personalities. It also explained the sudden change in personality when I first met Gaara. He told me that he let Shukaku take control when he couldn't take it anymore, when he was so worn out that he just wanted to disappear for a while. It was also the only time his dad didn't beat him. Instead, his dad would try to make Shukaku his weapon. But the demon wasn't having that. He wasn't about to do what someone else told him to do. He wasn't a toy.

"So what's on the agenda for this weekend?" Gaara asked, a little bit of excitement in his voice even though he tried to hide it. I thought for a moment, and decided I would inquire my idea to him. 'Well, I wanted to take you to the fair that's gonna be in town. The only thing is, there is gonna be a lot of people there, and I don't know how you feel about that.' I looked at him, waiting for an answer, and he shrugged. "It sounds fun. We can try it, and if I can't handle it I'll just leave." He said, and gave me a small smile. I nodded, that sounded like a good idea. 'There are some coping mechanisms I'd like you to try as well. When I was little, me and my sister-...' I suddenly stopped. I blinked, and then I started sobbing.

"Angel?!" Gaara exclaimed in concern. Nate heard me crying and rushed up to me, looking at Gaara for answers. "I don't know, she started talking about... your sister?" Nate looked slightly taken aback. "Sister?" He questioned. "We don't have a sister." he said and looked at Angel with deep confusion in his expression. 'You don't remember her either?! Oh my god! They took her from our heads! They took our memories away Nate!' I started hyperventilating, I couldn't believe what was going on inside my head. It was suddenly flooded with memories of my triplet sister. Nate and I weren't just twins. we were triplets.

"NARUTOOOOOOO!" I heard Neji scream out, and I jolted up and pushed Nate out of the way. Naruto was nowhere to be found. The three of us rushed to the water and Gaara yelled "What happened?!"

Shikamaru looked at us with a panicked expression on his face and said in a rush "I don't know! One minute we were all looking up at you guys, then I heard a splash and Naruto was just GONE!"

I looked around frantically for Naruto, and dove into the water in search of him, no longer caring about my cloak coming off. Deep into the water, I saw bright red, and at first I thought it was blood. But it wasn't. The redness shot up to the surface, and I quickly swam up as well, and at the shore, I saw Naruto. His eyes had turned a deep red, his pupils now the shape of cat eyes, his nails now claws, and a red aura surrounding him. In his clutches, was a blue man with gills on the side of his neck. He was dead.

I swam to the surface, and slowly approached Naruto, not wanting to startle him. Memories started flashing in my head, of Naruto. He was... he was in the lab, in the experiment room.

'I remember you...' I signed, and looked at Gaara for help. "Naruto?" He asked cautiously, as he slowly approached him too. Naruto's eyes darted to him. "Angel says she remembers you." His eyes darted to me, and I nodded. I held out my hand to Naruto, another memory flashing in my head. I could tell Naruto was scared. He didn't know what the hell was happening to him. 'It's okay. I promise, just take my hand.' I signed calmly, Gaara translating. Naruto dropped the dead man, and took my hand. I froze.

I was now inside Naruto's head, looking at a HUGE cage. In the cage, I saw a demonic entity sort of resembling a fox. "He tried to take him away. I had to come out and stop him. I don't know how I managed to break this seal..." he said in a very deep, demonic sounding voice. I nodded. 'I understand. I need you to be calm now, because Naruto is scared. I don't think he knows about you.' I signed, hoping the demon could understand me. He nodded. "I... I don't remember how. I haven't been out in such a long time."

I could tell the entity was not evil. He just wanted to protect his home. Naruto was his home. I nodded in understanding and held my hand out. 'May I touch you?' I asked him. He nodded. I touched his nose, and he bubbled up and exploded, the seals surrounding his cage suddenly disappearing. In front of me, was now a little fox demon, with nine tails. It looked up at me with a small nod, and I knew it was now quelled. "Kyuubi is my name." it told me and I nodded. 'I have to go make sure Naruto is okay. Thank you for protecting him. I'm-' "Angel. I remember you." He interrupted. Kyuubi walked up to me and licked my hand. "Go." I nodded, and I let go.

When I came to, both me and Naruto were laying on the ground, still holding hands. I let go of his hand, and I checked his temperature, he was normal. He was going to be okay. "Angel..." I heard Nate say with uncertainty. I looked up at him, and he looked at Naruto with his head tilted, and I nodded. 'Him too. He was with us, I don't know how we forgot about him... we used to play with him all the time remember?' Gaara looked at us confused, and Shikamaru had wide eyes. "So that's where he went..." he said. Neji was so confused.

Nate explained, "Naruto was with us when we were first getting experimented on. Naruto became too uncontrollable, and they deemed him a failed experiment, that mark on his stomach is a seal, to keep the demon entity that was injected into him trapped. It was only a matter of time before the demon came out." I nodded, as I remembered that I was the one who sealed him. 'I made it so if Naruto was in extreme danger, the seal would be broken.' Nate translated for me. Naruto looked up at me, fear evident in his eyes, and I laid a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay Naruto." Gaara reassured, "We can help you." Gaara gave him a small, reassuring smile, and Naruto looked at me. I nodded. I signed, Gaara translated "Kyuubi is a very nice entity. He only came out to protect you. If you can talk to Kyuubi, you could have the same relationship that Shukaku and Gaara have." Naruto took a deep breath, and nodded. At this point Neji and Shikamaru were totally confused. So Nate explained it to them, and Shikamaru said "So what you are saying is, we are lame and you guys are a bunch of bad asses? Cool." The light hearted response made everyone laugh.

"Let's get back to having fun!" burst Naruto. Everyone agreed and they all went back into the water. I decided to investigate the dead man on the shore, Nate and Gaara following me. "Oh shit. It's Kisame!" Nate exclaimed. I nodded, remembering the blue fish man. 'We need to get rid of his body...' I announced in sign. Gaara nodded and stuck his hand in the sand. Kisame's body started to slowly disappear into the sand. "I'll make sure he's ten feet under." Gaara stated. I nodded, and walked back up the hill, Nate going back into the water and Gaara following me when he was done. "So you talked to Kyuubi?" he asked me. I nodded. 'I'm not really sure how I did it.' I stated honestly. He nodded.

Gaara started talking and nodding to himself, and I looked at him curiously. "Shukaku said it was because Naruto trusts you, and so does Kyuubi. Did... Did Naruto go through the same torture?" Gaara asked her cautiously. I just shrugged my shoulders... 'I can only assume he did. I do remember that a lot of the others were terrified of him, because Naruto was extremely powerful. He did accidentally kill one of the kids during training. The only reason why I probably wasn't scared of him, was because I was the one who saved the rest of them.'

"So you are more powerful than Naruto?" Gaara questioned. I shrugged. 'I'm not really sure to be honest with you. I think it had more to do with our relationship. Naruto had no desire to hurt me. The other kid bullied him severely, and I think Naruto just got sick of it. I wonder if they took his memories too...'

Suddenly, I froze, as I had a very sudden realization... "What?" Gaara asked as he looked back at me.

'Kisame works directly with Rasa...' I signed grimly. Gaara looked very confused. 'It means... Rasa was trying to kidnap Naruto and get him into the sex trade.' Gaara's eyes widened at this, and he looked at Naruto, having fun in the water.

"What are we going to do?" He asked.

'Fight.' I signed. 'I promise, I won't let anything happen to Naruto. Now that the seal is broken, Naruto will be able to protect himself more. But I'm going to have to try and train him myself, so he and Kyuubi can work together.' Gaara nodded. "I can help." And I agreed. 'It'll be good to have someone with the same experience. Me and my entity... Well we just became one. We don't have separate minds, so I can't just talk to her. Thank you Gaara.' He shrugged. "I owe him my life. It's the least I can do."

After our talk we went and sat back down under the willow tree. 'You're not going to go back into the water?' I questioned. He shook his head. "I don't feel like it. Besides, I'm a lot more comfortable up here with you." He said, then looked like he immediately regretted it. He looked at me, and I could see his face turning red, and I could feel mine was too. Then he kind of had this curious look on his face...

"You have white hair?" He asked me, and I looked down, seeing a strand had escaped and quickly tucked it back into my cloak. I nodded. "So you have white hair and red eyes... but so does Nate. So... what else could you possibly be hiding?" He asked me. I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, so I simply didn't. He seemed to understand my discomfort, so he completely changed the subject. "So... what does your sister look like? Do you remember?" he questioned, curious.

My eyes widened, because I almost forgot about her again. 'Black hair and red eyes. She looks a lot like my dad, and Nate and I look like our mother. Her name is... Devil? No... It's Dyavol. Yeah! Her name is Dyavol. I need to find her...' I explained, and he agreed with a "Hn".

I looked out into the water to make sure no one else got taken, and I saw something quite... peculiar. My brother and Neji's interactions were very... flirtatious. 'I think Neji and Nate like each other.' I said, happiness evident in my movements. Gaara started to study them, and nodded. "I do too. Did you know Nate was... gay?" He asked. I nodded. 'Yeah I did. He used to have a boyfriend... but that ended tragically.' I sighed softly, remembering how heart broken Nate was. Gaara nodded in understanding.

"Neji has been in the closet for a long time, but I always knew." I looked at him with a peculiar smile. 'How?' I asked. "Because he used to like Shikamaru. He would always give these really strange, subtle cues. I think Shikamaru broke it to him that he wasn't gay." he laughed a little bit. I always liked to hear him laugh. It was pretty rare, but when he did laugh it made my heart skip a beat. I think I'm really starting to like him.

I don't think I will pursue this relationship though. He won't want to stick around once he sees what I really look like.

 _ **Naruto's P.O.V X**_

I put on a happy facade for my friends, but really, I was going crazy. I remembered everything now. All the torture I went through, all the pain. I remembered killing that kid... I don't even remember why. But I did it. I was a monster. _How could I? How could I take a life like that?_ Did they remember that too? Do they hate me now? I bet they do... I bet they are just pretending because they don't want to die like that kid did... _What have I done?_

After another hour, we all went to eat. I wasn't hungry at all. I was sick. I can't do this anymore. "I think I just want to go home..." I announced suddenly. Everyone looked at me, but I just looked down, ashamed of myself. "It's okay, Naruto. You went through a lot today, we understand. Why don't I just take you home okay?" Nate said with a smile, but I knew deep down in my heart he hated me. He wanted me gone. "Okay.." I said solemnly. I hugged everyone good bye. I felt so heavy, so sad. Gaara whispered if I was okay, and I just nodded, but I didn't look at him.

Nate drove me home, and I went inside without saying goodbye to him. I walked inside my house and yelled out, "Dad?" No answer. I nodded. It was better this way. I grabbed a pencil and a piece of paper, and wrote a note to my dad.

 _This isn't your fault. I love you with ALL my heart. I just can't do this anymore. I'm a monster, and now even my friends... they know it too, and I KNOW they hate me. I'm so sorry dad. I hope you can truly forgive me. If Gaara asks... you know what, it's okay I can just tell him myself. I love you dad. Please forgive me. Please understand that none of this is your fault._

I nodded, and laid it some where he couldn't miss it, right on the hallway table where he put his keys. I got everything ready, I got a knife, ran the bath, and took a lot of blood thinners, then waited about thirty minutes for them to kick in. I got into the bath tub, with my phone, and I slit my wrists vertically about three times, to make sure I didn't miss the artery. Then, I texted Gaara.

 **Hey...**

 **Hey, you okay?**

 **Yeah. I just... I just wanted to say that I love you.**

 **? I love you too?**

I could feel the world swimming around me... Death is so slow.

 _ **Gaara's**_ **P.O.V**

 **? I love you too?** I said back, not really sure what was happening. I figured he was just severely depressed. I would be here for him though.

 **Just... remember that this isn't your fault ok?**

My heart suddenly started racing.

 _ **Turn the fucking car around!**_ I heard Shukaku scream inside my head. "Oh my fucking god." I said out loud, my hands were shaking horribly as I texted Naruto back.

 **NARUTO? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT DO YOU MEAN?**

 **Its ok Gaara. I love you buddy. I'll always be with you okay? Don't be sad. You have Angel, and Nate, Shika, Neji. You don't need me** **anymore.**

"TURN THE FUCKING CAR AROUND NOW!" I half cried, half screamed out. Everyone looked at me with a startled look, Angel signed quickly when she saw tears streaming down my face, 'Gaara what's happening?!'

 **Naruto PLEASE don't fucking do this, if you do this I... I'm gonna do it too! Do you fucking hear me!** Send.

"NARUTO!" I screamed out. Nate immediately turned the car around, drifting into a circle and speeding towards Naruto's. "I fucking knew I shouldn't have left him! I knew it!" he yelled out, slamming his fists on the steering wheel. Everyone looked scared, and I was frantically texting Naruto, trying to get a response.

 **NARUTO!** Send

 **PLEASE DON'T FUCKING DO THIS!** Send

I couldn't see the keys anymore, I was sobbing onto the phone, Neji and Shikamaru didn't know what the hell was happening. We all heard a ring, and Angel answered her phone, she put it on speaker so Nate could translate...

"OH MY FUCKING GOD HE'S DEAD!" Jirayah screamed out, with a pain only a father could emit. The atmosphere in the car grew grim, and everyone's faces paled.

"Jirayah?" Nate asked calmly, and he looked at Angel's hands yet still driving at 120 miles per hour perfectly. I was sobbing, all the pain that I've felt over the years releasing into streams of tears.

"WHATT?!" He yelled out despairingly. "I know this is extremely difficult, but if you want to save your son, you need to take a deep breath, and you need to calm yourself. Once you've done that, you need to check Naruto for a pulse, and to see if he's breathing." Nate explained calmly, like he's done this before.

We heard the slamming of the phone hitting the floor, and sloshing of water. Jirayah was breathing heavily, trying to calm his nerves. "I FEEL A HEART BEAT! It's weak! It's so weak! His breathing, it's labored" He managed to choke out.

"That's good. Now I am going to say something, and I need you to not freak out, because this is vital in saving his life, okay?" Nate asked calmly, sternly, gently. "O-okay?" Jirayah questioned.

"How did he try to kill himself?" He asked. "C-cutting, v-vertically... How did he even...?" He asked to no one in particular. "Okay. Naruto is going to die." Nate said grimly, and Jirayah wailed. "This is what you need to do. Get some bandages, or cloth, whatever you can tie into a knot, and you need to make a turn-a-kit above the cuts, okay? Make it tight." Nate gave these instructions very calmly. "D-done" Jirayah said. "HE STOPPED BREATHING!" He cried out. "I know. It's okay. Start CPR. Do you know how to do that?" Nate asked, but we could hear that Jirayah was already starting it. "One two three... Come on baby boy please... nineteen twenty twenty one... NARUTO COME BACK TO ME SON PLEASE! TWENTY NINE THIRTY!" We heard Jirayah trying to give Naruto rescue breaths. The car stopped, and Angel bolted out of the vehicle, not even shutting the door, and I bolted as well.

The scene was horrific. Naruto was laying on the bathroom floor, his arms were bleeding. The bathtub had water in it, but it just looked like blood. A lot of blood. The bathroom floors and walls were covered in bloody handprints, most likely from Jirayah. The mats, soaked in Naruto's blood. Angel quickly redid the turn-a-kits, and started doing compressions of her own. Eventually, Naruto started to breathe, and Angel immediately put both hands on his wrists, her hands glowing green.

Jirayah didn't seem to care about the strange power, he just wanted Naruto back, and so did I. **X**

 _ **Angel's P.O.V**_

I sucessfully closed his arteries so they would stop bleeding, then I asked Nate for a first aid kit, and he darted to the car to get it. He came back just as quickly, and I started to stitch Naruto's wrists, wrapping them when I was done. Naruto started coming to, and he weakly threw his hands around and yelled out "NO NO NO! Let me fucking die! Please! I don't want to do this anymore!" He cried out in a weak voice, and Gaara hugged him tightly, crying too. "Stop it!" Gaara said.

"You're not a monster, Naruto..." Nate said, having the same idea I did. Naruto remembered too. "That kid... he was bullying everyone, torturing them. You were just trying to stop him. You didn't know how strong you really were." He explained, and Naruto looked at him, then at me. I nodded. "But... I..."

"Shhh" Jirayah cooed, and took Naruto in his arms. "I should have told you... Naruto I'm so sorry..." He cried, "I just... they told me your memory was wiped, and if I said anything to you, they would... they were going to kill you. I couldn't let that happen..."

Nate looked confused. "Wait. You know?" He asked uncertainly. Jirayah nodded. "I know about the demon, the kid, what happened. I just..."

"Thought Naruto was better off not knowing?" Nate finished for him. Jirayah nodded. "How much do you know about the organization that did this to him?" Nate questioned.

"Nothing... they just showed up at my door with Naruto. I used to work for the ANBU, so I knew that demons existed in the world. They told me Naruto was one of them, and they had sealed it. Told me he was just some failed experiment, and said they wanted me to take care of him until they were... ready to take him back. So... I did. I adopted him, and treated him as if he were my own son, but when they came back for him, I told them to fuck off. They just... they left, and they didn't bother us ever again." He explained, and Naruto hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry... I just..." he seemed to plead weakly, and Jirayah shooshed him, and rubbed his back. He looked at us, and said "I... I called you because... you helped him before."

I felt Gaara's eyes on me, and I tensed up. I looked at Gaara, and he had the look of hurt and betrayal in his eyes.

"Gaara... It's not her fault. I told her not to tell you, because I didn't... I didn't want you to worry. Please don't blame her." Naruto pleaded, and Gaara nodded. But I knew he was still upset with me. I understood. Naruto was his best friend, someone who always helped him. It probably killed him to know that he couldn't help his friend.

"Now what?" Jirayah asked. "How did he remember?"

"Kyuubi came out because someone tried to kidnap Naruto today. It probably triggered his memories." Nate explained, and Jirayah nodded. "So, you guys have been through what he has... you... you can help him right?" Nate smiled at him and nodded. "Definitely! Although... I think it might be better if Naruto... possibly stayed with us." Jirayah nodded, agreeing. Then he looked at Naruto, as if knowing exactly what he was thinking.

"I love you, with all my heart. I don't know what you are going through though, I don't know how to help you, okay? I need you to understand, that this is not me abandoning you. This is not me not wanting you anymore. I just know, that I can't help you. I PROMISE I will visit every single weekend. While you are there, I will be here, helping catch Rasa. Alright?" He explained soothingly, and Naruto nodded. He looked at Gaara, who had a perplexed look on his face. "I... I told him. What Rasa does... I couldn't keep it a secret anymore, I needed help... I'm sorry." Gaara shook his head, not caring anymore.

We took Naruto to our home that day, to his new home. Let him choose his room. Gaara stayed with him all night, and didn't say another word to me.

* * *

I had a goddamn panic attack while writing that scene ;-; I hope it wasn't too much for you guys, my specialty is dark scenes x.x Please review, even if it's a hate comment and you want to kill me for almost killing Naruto ;-;


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